


불개 (Bulgae)

by juuten



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alpha!Mingyu, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Historical, Elemental Magic, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Humor, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Inspired by Chinese Drama, Inspired by Korean Mythology, M/M, Omega!Hoshi, Pining, Slow Burn, The Language of Flowers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:02:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 31
Words: 176,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23291380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juuten/pseuds/juuten
Summary: Kwon Soonyoung - Omega Prince of the Andong Kwon Royal Family - loses his fiancé on the night before his wedding day. What should have been a joyous celebration had turned into a ruthless bloodbath, perpetrated by the fearsome new Clan of Gwangsan Kim. Far from his home in the Aster Province, Soonyoung is left at the mercy of his fiancé’s killers. He is taken to Firestorm Fortress, where he fears the inevitable future of becoming a disposable concubine to the reigning Alpha king.
Relationships: Boo Seungkwan/Chwe Hansol | Vernon, Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Yoon Jeonghan, Jeon Wonwoo/Lee Chan | Dino, Kim Mingyu/Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi, Wen Jun Hui | Jun/Xu Ming Hao | The8
Comments: 693
Kudos: 687





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I just wanted to make a simple A/B/O one-shot with SoonGyu but here we are again. Plot. So much plot. I’m not trying to be historically accurate with anything HAHAHA. This is very lightly inspired by The Untamed - which you guys should watch if you haven't already. The song I listened to (and cried to) while writing this is called WangXian from the MDZS Audio Drama. My heart hurt listening to it, and it helped fuel this historical A/B/O fic and turned it into a mammoth bigger than King of Tartarus. Also, Fallin' Flower. The timing was like perfect for me to post at least 1 chapter to see how y'all like this. One last thing, firestorms = tulips.

_Between the time when flowers bloom and scatter, scars heal and sprouts emerge. We live for this moment, the first and last. That's why I won't take you for granted, because you love somebody like me..._

_-Seventeen, Fallin' Flower (2020)_

Only moments ago, Kwon Soonyoung had been gazing at himself in the Bronze mirror of his hymeneal chamber - the solemn room he was to be locked in before his nuptial ceremony the next day. Donned in red silk and covered in golden embroidery, his wedding attire painted a story of the mighty family he was marrying into - the Oeseong Kwak Clan of Osmanthus City.

The Prince of the Aster Province had been engaged to the heir of their family for many years. 

As a child born into the Andong Kwon Royal Family - and as the _only offspring_ to have survived into adulthood after numerous miscarriages from the Queen and all the king's Omega concubines - it was Kwon Soonyoung’s duty to follow his Alpha father’s commands, and more importantly…to protect the people of the Aster Province as their prince. On the day he’d presented as an Omega, the family's counsel had advised the king to arrange a union with a neighboring clan as soon as possible. Since no other children could be produced by the Kwon King, their alliance with the Kwak Clan had been imperative and precarious, especially since annexation was the only choice left to defend themselves against the nations that sought to conquer them.

Within a week of his 15th birthday, the Omega prince was told that he’d been engaged to marry in 5 years time, and until then, it was his responsibility to learn how to become a good Omega wife to an Alpha husband. His studies were halted in favor of learning how to mend clothes and cook. Sword fighting and horseback riding had been replaced with tea-making and endless hours of meditation, for he had to learn how to be calm and quiet - devoid of aggressiveness and expression. Alphas did not fancy talkative and emotional Omegas. They did not like Omegas who could not tend to their needs and care for their children. 

According to his parents, the Oeseong Kwak Clan would kick him out of Osmanthus City if he could not please their firstborn son. If that happened, the Andong Kwon Family would not take him back because of such disgrace.

So Soonyoung did as he’d been told, and over the years, his once bright and brash personality had been dulled into something similar to a polished rock. He learned how to be polite and submissive. He learned to speak so little, using so few words it had been maddening at first, but as time passed by, he’d grown wise enough to talk in short sentences that left notable impact.

To alleviate boredom, and more so not to forget certain vocabulary, Kwon Soonyoung took it upon himself to start a correspondence with his intended. Kwak Youngmin had seemed amiable enough through their letters. They wrote back and forth for a couple years, frequent enough for him to send an envelope at least twice a month. The messages from the Kwak Prince had been rather sweet at times and would every and now then come with unique gifts from Osmanthus City. So the Omega had hoped their espousal would be a tolerable affair, and dare he say, filled with _love_. If Kwak Youngmin’s flowery words were an indication of such possibility, Soonyoung was more than open to an impassioned union.

In person, however, Soonyoung’s fiancé had not been as warm as the words he’d penned. Perhaps it was because he’d arrived during the festivities, and Youngmin was drunk out of his mind and surrounded by other more good-looking Omegas - no doubt his soon-to-be concubines once the throne was passed down to him. 

He wasn’t delusional to think that his future husband would keep him as the sole Omega in his household. Love was rarely an accessory to these political engagements. According to books and their scholarly writers, love seemed to only exist in an Omega’s over-imaginative fantasies. Alphas needed sons, not romance. They needed to breed strong offspring, whether they came from their wives or not, and Alpha Kings were allowed to have as many Omegas as they wished. 

The Oeseong Kwak Clan held the same view as any other royal family did.

Their royal weddings consisted of a month-long celebration, and it involved consumption of staggering amounts of alcohol. But what was even more shocking was the amount of shameless copulation that took place within the palace walls. 

There was no one he could relay his sentiments to.

Soonyoung had been dropped off and left there by his entourage from the Aster Province. His parents and relatives had not been invited to the wedding, and they had too much fear to question the Kwak Clan’s rude deportment. 

Youngmin had taken one look at Soonyoung and, without saying a word to him, called for the servants to usher him to the hymeneal chamber. There, they’d fitted him into his wedding robe, making any last minute adjustments necessary. For all the meals he’d been forced to skip for the ceremony, Soonyoung was thankful that there hadn’t been much need for alteration. God forbid he’d delay the wedding because he couldn’t fit into his marital garments. That had been one of the many, _arguably legitimate_ fears both his parents had lost sleep over, and there were many more fears that kept them awake at night - most specifically, ones that caused a broken alliance with the Oeseong Kwak Clan because of Soonyoung's incompetence. 

Within minutes after the maids scampered away, the celebratory music outside had come to a deafening halt. Shouting and rushing footsteps could be heard outside his room, but because he could not leave the hymeneal chamber, the prince had to make due with peaking through the door cracks. 

Soldiers were running around, taking defensive positions in the palace square. Swords were drawn and bows were strung with arrows, ready for an enemy Soonyoung could not see. The gates rattled despite the blockades set up. Smoke was quickly rising into the sky, pervading the night with black ash and suffocating fumes.

The Omega’s eyes widened, and his heart rapidly thrummed in his chest. The veins throughout his body were flowing with poisonous trepidation.

Osmanthus City was under attack.

It didn’t take much for him to understand what was happening. He’d seen such horrors before, when the Ruler of Larkspur Shore had once tried to invade the Aster Province. The Andong Kwon Family had prevailed, but not without suffering severe losses. 

The barricades were broken, and a pair of giant hounds entered the grounds, fending off attacks with barred teeth and fire burning around their bodies in place of fur. Soonyoung had never seen such beasts before, nor had he known these animals existed beyond the realm of fantasy books. Most of the soldiers hadn’t known either. He could tell from the way they’d cowered at the sight of the beasts, abandoning their posts, only to be killed by masked enemies that followed after the hounds. 

With most of the Kwak’s men heavily drunk, it was a battle that guaranteed only defeat. The intruders stabbed and dismembered soldier after soldier, and the fiery beasts decapitated and set ablaze those foolish enough to come close. Any sort of defense was easily thwarted by the enemy’s army. The attack had to have been planned, contrived to flourish at such an opportune moment.

How unlucky he was for this to have happened on the night before _his_ wedding.

His Alpha fiancé fought as best as he could in his inebriated state, but against a man so large, towering over all the men and adorned with heavy iron, Kwak Youngmin could not hold his own. 

Soonyoung knew from the embellishments on his protective armor, that this was the general of their enemies.

He watched as his betrothed fell the ground in a puddle of blood, impaled through the heart by a terrifying blade almost as wide as a person's head. 

The Masked General pulled his weapon out of the Alpha’s body, without any qualms or regard for the man he'd just murdered, and proceeded to stalk his way to the hymeneal chamber.

Soonyoung searched the room in a frenzy for anything he could use to defend himself. He could remember enough from his sword fighting days to know how to fend off an attacker. There had to be something here besides soft silk and pillows.

He found a parasol in a chest of clothes, and though it was devastatingly inferior to a blade, he had no other choice. 

The doors to the chamber were kicked open and broken at the hinges, and the Masked General stepped inside without hurry. 

Soonyoung took his stance, brandishing the parasol like a sword and bracing himself for the blows he knew would come. He prayed for a window of chance to open for escape. He did not wish to die here, in the hands of a coldblooded killer who would strike without empathy. 

To his surprise, the General planted his sword on the wooden floors, and without caring to know why, the prince took advantage of this small leverage and swung his weapon at the masked man’s head. 

But his attack had been useless.

The parasol was effortlessly crushed in the man’s grip and thrown aside before it could make contact with his face. 

The Omega prince tried to make a run for it, but the General caught him by the waist in pinned him against a wall. With tears in his eyes, he pushed at his assailant and attempted to flee as best as he could, clawing and shoving and doing whatever he could to fight back. He had to fight back or else he would be murdered like his fiancé and the men that served under him.

Now that their bodies were pressed together, Soonyoung was practically choking from the malodorous smell of blood and soot on the General’s armor. The dread in the pit of his stomach was making him nauseous, but he had nothing to vomit because he had not been fed since the night before. 

The masked Alpha - Soonyoung immediately knew from the strength the man possessed - belligerently tore his wedding robes into flimsy pieces of fabric at his feet...until there was nothing left but his thin undergarments to keep his intimate parts covered. 

He’d forgotten the one thing that could happen to him which was far worse than death.

Soonyoung pressed his lips together to stop the pitiful wails from leaving his mouth. He needed to save every last bit of dignity he would be left with after what would soon take place. He was an unwedded and untouched Omega - a delicacy from the spoils of war. 

He hoped the General would be quick with it, to show him even an ounce of mercy, because no other Alpha would ever want to marry him after this. An Omega’s value was extensively placed on his or her purity, and to have a sexual encounter, whether consensual or not, out of wedlock warranted punishment or disownment and after which, marriage proposals would never be received. This was not how he’d pictured his first bedding to be, and he could only hope that the masked Alpha would spare him from parturiency. 

The Omega could not even think about what would happen to him afterwards. 

Before he’d presented, Soonyoung had read many books on what happened to princes and princesses of conquered nations. If they were Alphas or Betas, their country’s enemies would torture them out in the open for all to see for many days and nights, before their execution would be enacted and their severed heads displayed outside the city gates. For Omegas, they were always either relegated to whores for the soldiers to pass around or forced to bear innumerable bastards for their new King to further humiliate the Omega’s fallen clan. 

He wasn’t sure what was a more grotesque fate, but it seemed like he was doomed to become a moll for the King’s men. 

Soonyoung closed his eyes tight and turned his face away. His seized wrists stopped fighting their way out of his captor’s grip. He sharply inhaled and allowed the tears to fall freely down his cheeks. He didn’t want to give in. He didn’t want to stop fighting. But he could no longer breathe properly, and he was deathly afraid, so afraid that his limbs were turning numb and immovable. 

“P-Please, no…”

The Omega prince expected pain and probing hands to begin the ruination of his body, but no malicious touch came upon him. Instead, he was dragged out of the chamber and hoisted over the General’s shoulder. 

The Alpha hauled him through the gates of the burning Osmanthus palace, running past flames and dying bodies. His thick, metal armor dug into the Omega’s waist and thighs, and hisses of discomfort slipped past the prince’s lips.

His captor heaved him towards the city center, or what was once a beautiful open market he’d passed by just hours ago. Everything was now covered in terrifying red flames and smoke. 

The sound of women screaming and children crying echoed forlornly into the night. They hadn’t known what was to come tonight. Neither he nor these innocents did.

The Masked General stopped before a horse and carriage, where another masked soldier was waiting for them. The Alpha carried him inside, deposited him amongst bags of grain, and bolted the door shut from outside.The singular window had bars too narrow for his body to slither through, and a tight, woven material obscured his view of what was happening in the city. He could not remove the strange curtain from the window no matter how much he pushed and picked at it. 

Soonyoung sank to the wooden floor, heart still beating erratically, but inside the carriage he could finally breathe without fumes burning his nose and mouth. His respirations slowed, and a sweet scent aroused his attention. For a moment, he thought his mind had broken, and he’d gone insane from all the bloodshed he’d just witnessed. But it was the smell of calico asters - the treasured flower of his home in the Aster Province, and its aroma brought a calm to his senses like a warm milk bath. 

Though it was already dark, a small candle in the corner provided him a minute source of light. It was enough for him to see what had been laid out for him.

The soothing scent was not coming from fresh flowers but from a set of folded robes soaked and dyed in calico aster petals. Such a tedious and long process was only done to make clothing for special occasions. Even Soonyoung only had one robe made for him in that way - his presentation ceremony dress. If he had been born an Alpha and inherited his father’s throne, he would have allowed for everyone in the Aster Province to own such a piece.

He slipped into the pale pink robe to cover up his indecency and allowed the aster smell to envelope him in a placating embrace. 

The enemy must have known who he was and where he would be before they laid siege on the palace. 

Osmanthus City had been the home of a prestigious dynasty. The Royal Oeseong Kwak Family had ties to so many other powerful families in different regions. Who on earth had been crazy enough to attack Oeseong Kwak Clan and make themselves an enemy to the house’s ferocious allies?

Soonyoung was far too worn out to ponder on the subject. For now, he was alive, _and_ he was still untouched. Two things he was immensely grateful for. 

He spotted a folded napkin with honey rice cakes and a bowl of water for him as well, but he couldn’t find any more strength in him to reach out and eat. 

The Omega curled into himself in the opposite corner and closed his eyes, praying until he fell asleep that someday, if he survived this ordeal…his next betrothal would not end in carnage and maybe, just maybe, it would even be filled with _love_.

* * *

Sunlight was seeping through the material of the covered window when Soonyoung woke. The carriage he was riding was moving at a quick pace, but not too swift that its passenger would be jarred awake by an uneven road. He could only assume that the enemy had finished wreaking havoc on Osmanthus City, and they were on the way back to their own place of origin. 

He wondered where the other Omegas were, because he was still alone in his carriage. It was plausible that the enemy had no need for more Omegas at their destination, and so they killed Kwak Youngmin’s concubines and Omega siblings, but Soonyoung knew that every royal family needed as many Omegas as possible to bear sons and grow an army. 

He hoped for their safety and that they were also given food and water. 

Soonyoung drifted in and out of sleep as his journey to a land unknown transpired. He gnawed mindlessly at the rice cakes to quell the growling in his stomach and took meager sips of water to make the liquid last longer. 

By night fall, the carriage finally stopped. He could hear the soldiers foraging the area for tinder and wood, and the sound of cackling a fire indicated their success. 

His insides rumbled at the smell of meat being cooked on their bonfire, and within an hour, a masked soldier placed a new candle and more food and water into his makeshift prison. 

This time, it was chicken meat and rice in a bowl. 

He saved most of his dinner for the next day, because Soonyoung was still unsure how long they would be gracious enough to provide him with sustenance. 

At day break, the journey continued, but this time, the Omega could not sleep. 

He could hear voices outside his carriage. The soldiers were much livelier today, after they’d properly rested and filled their bellies the night before. Their talking was muffled by the wood surrounding him, but it was loud enough for him to catch bits and pieces of their conversations.

“ _…years ago…had told me…Kwak Clan would be annihilated…single night…laughed right in your face…_ ”

Curious, Soonyoung inched closer to his barred window. Even with the woven material blocking out their faces, he could still see the hazy silhouettes of the army men walking, and worse, the prince could still smell their reeking _Alpha_ stenches and the dried up blood on their weapons.

“ _…and we have no one to thank but the Andong Kwon Omega prince. What do you think His Majesty will do to him?_ ”

Soonyoung felt his guts swell with sorrow. They were giving him undue _and unwanted_ credit for the Oeseong Kwak Clan’s downfall. It had been his parents who insisted on the arranged marriage. The men had been drinking because his union with the Kwak prince was about to take place. The enemy knew that, and so they took advantage of the festivities and struck while the Kwak clan had been vulnerable.

Innocent lives were lost, because he’d been born an Omega. He wasn’t fit to defend his clan, and he’d brought another family down with him and his inferiority.

“ _What else do you think, Jun? His engagement to Kwak Youngmin is good as void. He’s under Gwangsan Kim now_ ,” one of the soldiers grumbled.

Gwangsan Kim. He’s never heard of that family name before. He’s never read about them in his books either.

The taller soldier, Jun, chuckled boisterously. “ _I pity the Omega prince then. Our Alpha king would probably smother him to death._ ”

“ _Hm. I don’t pity him at all. He’s getting what he deserves._ ”

Soonyoung frowned and pulled himself away from the window. He’d eavesdropped enough. It hurt to be reminded every waking moment that he was nothing but Alpha fodder, bound to eventually become someone’s _property_. He was a goddamn person before anything else, but still, _still_ everyone saw him as nothing more than livestock. 

It was so ridiculous for the soldier to say he _deserved_ what was coming to him just because he was an Omega. 

The prince chewed angrily on his leftover chicken and rice. If it was indeed death by smothering that awaited him at their endmost destination, Soonyoung vowed he would come back as a ghost to haunt them all. 

* * *

He was startled out of the dreamworld by the harsh opening of his carriage door. Soonyoung was hoisted out by the arms with a masked soldier on each side. Their grips were firm enough to convey a quiet warning - fighting back or attempting escape would be futile. But they did not drag him with any harshness, and that prevented his bare feet from raspingly scraping the rough ground. 

The Alpha king probably wanted him unharmed, or rather, _unblemished_ when he choose to take the Omega. 

It was once again night fall, and the stars were visible in the sky. But for all the beauty they had to offer him, Soonyoung could not appreciate it from the way his form trembled as they brought him back to their homeland. 

The stronghold was horrifyingly enormous with its black walls and watch towers blazing with fire. Two fiery hound statues made of stone stood by the gates. Ruby gems were fixed into their eyes, and smoke emitted from their open mouths. They appeared almost looming, like symbols of exhortation - enemies of Gwangsan Kim, _beware_.

Between the two hounds, perched at the top of the main gate was a banner with the family’s blossom seal and a metal sigil that spelled out ‘Firestorm Fortress’ in the ancient language. 

He was paraded through the city streets, right at the very front of an entourage of soldiers and imprisoned Omegas from the Oeseong Kwak Clan. The civilians rejoiced at their heroes’ homecoming. Cheers erupted high and ardent from their lungs. Their smiles were pure and burning bright, as if their defenders had not committed such atrocious crimes just nights before.

The only person before Soonyoung was the Masked General himself, riding on an impressive gold stead. The horse’s coat seemed to dazzle between lantern light. Every now and then, the masked Alpha would look back at his captive, making sure the Omega did not put up a struggle against the soldiers holding him. 

It was mocking to display him in front of the people without chains around his hands and feet. His unbound state spoke volumes of their power over him. They were so sure he would not try to run. They were so sure he was too afraid to suffer. They were so sure he would rather degrade himself than die a gruesome death.

…And they were right.

There was no denying it. Soonyoung did not want to die by their hands.

So the prince held back the fight for tonight.

He wasn’t going to give them to satisfaction of using his body _and_ taking his life.

Soonyoung swore to himself that he would do anything and everything he could to stay alive and return home to the Aster Province someday.

He would show them that they could not hold power over him forever.

But in order to survive, the prince needed to play the age-long battle of intrigue, where not even the sharpest blade or the strongest armor could protect you. In this convoluted game, victory lied in the hands of those with the shrewdest minds.

History books proved that, time and time again, every Alpha in command was the same, and he’d learn enough from their passages to know how their concubines evaded disposal and rose to power. Though their methods had been besmirching and most of them had dirtied their hands and souls, in the end they were all striving for the same goal - to outlive their enslavers and gain their freedom. 

The prince knew that this war against the Alpha King and all his men was a treacherous path to take.

He was alone in this crusade.

He had no power in this foreign land. 

But if he wanted to live, he had to fight.

If he wanted to go home, Soonyoung had to win.

As he stared at the back of the Masked General’s head, the prince’s eyes narrowed, and his jaw tightened. 

Though he and Kwak Youngmin were never able to marry, there was a weighted sense of duty to avenge his former fiancé eating at his heart.

The Omega would make sure to best that Alpha, to crush him until he was weak and bleeding inside, to make him beg for clemency, and to bring him to his knees in due time. 

* * *

Soonyoung had expected to be thrown in a cell for the night, not in a spacious and impressively decorated room. 

He was left in shock at how beautiful it was inside the chamber. The room was even more beautiful than the one he had in the Aster Province. The doors and window sills had adroit carvings he’d never seen before. The white-painted walls were trimmed with gold. Nearly almost everything inside was accented by the shiny element. The dressers, the chairs, the tables, the chests, candle posts, and even the flower pots - all had a touch of gold flickering around their parts.

The bed-frame, however, was painted in fine black, like the book shelves and certain pieces of furniture, and was built to fit at least four people.

Nightshade seemed to be the official color of Gwangsan Kim. Like the banner at the gates, the purple hue enriched the curtains on the windows and the bed. There were even garments in nightshade laid out on top of the dressers, but the smell on them was distinctly firestorm. Soonyoung wondered how they managed to thoroughly dye the clothing in deadly nightshade but scent it with the sweet aroma of firestorm. 

Besides the wonderful smelling robes, there were also bowls and small plates of food in the dining segment of the room. Both water and rice wine were set beside the abundant setting of dishes. 

His stomach began its incessant rumbling, and although he was tempted to gorge upon the meal, something inside the chamber had caught his eye and caused his heart to beat in panic. 

The firestorm emblem of Gwangsan Kim was embroidered atop the sheet on the gigantic bed, also in the signature nightshade color that contrasted prettily against the ivory blanket and pillows. 

Soonyoung realized that he’d been brought to a _royal_ sleeping chamber. 

This had to be the King of Gwangsan Kim's room. No one else would be allowed to occupy such an extravagant space.

The king planned on tainting his virtue tonight. 

Why else would the soldiers bring him straight here but for his chastity to be stolen by their master?

The prince gulped back, shakily making his way to the bed, despite his heart telling him ‘ _no, no, no_ ’. 

His sensitive Omega side was urging him to abscond, but his rational, Kwon prince side was imploring him to stay. 

To avoid a perilous fate, Soonyoung needed to let go of his inhibitions and allow his body to be violated. It was bound to happen anyway, except instead of losing his virginity to Kwak Youngmin, the purloined honor was going to the leader of Gwangsan Kim.

He had to ignore the pain and perform all the explicit things respectable Omegas of the court would never do. Alphas didn’t like being told no, so if he did everything the king wanted, his chances of gaining partisanship would increase.

And if he could produce an heir…and jeopardize every other Omega concubine’s pregnancy, Soonyoung would become untouchable, even if his child were a bastard and he weren’t married to the king. 

That was what the Omegas in his books had done to save their own lives and augment their worth in the eyes of their Alphas.

So that was what he had to do as well…

But the thought of hurting unborn children made him sick.

He couldn’t think such awful thoughts. There had to be another way besides involving innocent offspring to win the game.

He would find another way somehow. 

For now, though, he had to mentally prepare for his deflowering. 

Soonyoung laid flat on the soft bed, hands folded over his chest - still dressed in his calico aster clothing like a present ready to be opened - as he waited for his patrician to arrive.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't help it. I had to post the next chapter ASAP 'cuz I'm just super in love with this fic and Fallin' Flower right now. RECAP: Soonyoung is from the Aster Province. Their official flower is the Calico Aster. He is now in the Firestorm Fortress.

_Between the time when flowers bloom and scatter, scars heal and sprouts emerge. We live for this moment, the first and last. That's why I won't take you for granted, because you love somebody like me..._

_-Seventeen, Fallin' Flower (2020)_

The King of Gwangsan Kim had not come for him. 

He didn’t even sleep in the same bed with Soonyoung last night.

The Kwon prince only realized so when he’d been roused awake by an impeccably dressed Omega. Besides the pain in his stomach, nothing else was hurting. In fact, his whole body was in a state of total bliss. The bed he’d fallen asleep in felt heavenly, receiving him like a cloud and enfolding him in its pillowy warmth - that is, until he’d been disconnected from his calm slumber.

“Aigoo, why didn’t you eat last night?!” 

The Omega’s voice rang irritably through the prince's ears. Why was he being so loud? Surely, this man knew his disruptive voice would warrant a whipping from the royal guard. 

Soonyoung rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, squinting from the generous amount of sunlight pouring into the room. He sat up to cover his ears, scowling at the Omega who wouldn’t stop talking and who, sadly, did not seem to notice his dismay.

“Quickly! Get dressed! We need to feed you before His Majesty finds out you skipped your dinner!” 

If the Alpha king had really entered the chamber last night, he would have noticed the uneaten food and caused a raucous for Soonyoung denying the hospitality forced upon him.

His ribcage instantaneously loosened, and for the first time in three days, his airway didn’t feel so tight.

He was still _pure_.

He had not been sullied by a stranger.

His body was still his own…

But then, sadness quickly crept back into its place in the broken crevice of his heart.

How much longer would he get to keep his chastity?

The previous night of festivities most likely inebriated the Alpha men of the fortress. There must have been copious amounts of wine and merriment in the celebration of their victory, so much so that the King couldn’t enjoy the spoils he’d accumulated that very same night. 

The prince rolled his eyes at the thought.

“Was he too drunk to get it up last night?” he gritted out hollowly, _resentfully._

The Omega gave him an odd look, obviously perturbed by what he’d just asked. “Did you just…did you just imply…ugh- you’re…you’re probably delirious from hunger. We need to get you fed.”

Soonyoung clenched his jaw, leering back at his contemporary.

He had expected a glare in return, but the Omega's round-shaped face twisted in worry instead, before he awkwardly moved away to pick up the garments on the dresser Soonyoung had seen the night before. 

“Here, change into these,” he instructed, before placing the clothing on the bed next to the Kwon Omega. “The clothes you are wearing now need to be washed.”

The prince's eyes narrowed at the deep nightshade fabric. “But…those are the King’s robes.”

As the layers were deftly unfolded by the well-dressed Omega, his expression morphed from worry to quizzical. His glanced back and forth between the clothes and the prince. “No, they’re not. These were meant for you...”

Meant for _him_?

Was the loud Omega purposely trying to get him in trouble? 

He would not be fooled.

“I refuse,” Soonyoung asserted, crossing his arms over his chest. “These clothes are obviously much too nice for a _prisoner_ of a household to wear.” 

The Omega made a defeated face, evidently upset by Soonyoung’s stubbornness. “Please, change. I beg of you! His Highness would wring my neck if he sees you still dressed in the same clothes from three nights ago.”

At the appalling mention of harm coming to the Omega, Soonyoung’s eyes grew wide. Even though he knew nothing of this person before him, it was a supplication he could not turn a blind eye on. Empathy and compassion had both been built into him ever since he was born. Call him a fool or gullible, but he would never ignore another person's plea when their life was at stake. Maybe that was why his father's court never deemed him fit to rule - he had an Omega heart filled with too much tenderness and emotion.

So the prince urgently began undressing himself without the protection of a shoji screen. 

The Omega’s face burned in scarlet, scandalized by Soonyoung’s sudden actions. He turned away before stammering, “Oh my goodness! Y-You mustn’t tell the k-king I’ve seen y-your…your collarbones! I…I can not imagine how angry he would be!”

Soonyoung nodded, letting his clothes slip down his shoulders and all the way to the floor. “Don’t worry. I will not tell a single soul.” 

He wasn’t about to let the other Omega be punished for such trivial things. How horrible was this Alpha king to instill so much fear in this poor servant? 

Wait, was he a servant? 

He was far too lavishly dressed to be of the lower class, unless the head of Gwangsan Kim dressed more ostentatiously than this, and the Omega was already wearing such garish-looking robes.

Maybe he was a courtesan, and he was shrouded in beautiful things because he was favored.

But if he were a rivaling Omega, why would he be acting so friendly?

Was this a ploy to get on his good side? In order to manipulate his thoughts and control his actions? Then backstab him in the future when the opportunity arose?

He would have to be careful around this Omega, as well as any other Omega he was likely to encounter.

“What is your name?” Soonyoung asked, slipping into a fresh set of inner clothes. 

“It is Boo Seungkwan, Wangja-nim,” the Omega answered, back still turned away. 

The prince paused at the way he’d been addressed. The residents of the palace knew who he was apparently. The Masked General must have been bragging about his capture all night long.

He brushed the thought aside and continued adjusting and tying the layers. “And where are you from?”

“The Southern Island of Paeonia.”

His parents had paid a visit to that island many years ago, before he’d even been born. The Kwon king had told him of its peculiar mountains that would spout liquid fire and the affinity the people had for swimming around the island's clear, surrounding waters.

Paeonia tea was also commended as the best in all of the land. 

“Why have you been displaced so far away from home?”

He did not receive a response right away. As Soonyoung donned himself in the outermost robe of nightshade, he watched the Omega sigh and clear his throat before speaking.

“I was disowned. I fell in love with a wandering Alpha and married him without my parents’ consent,” he explained, swathing his disdain as best as he could. “We had nowhere to go until…well, we were abducted by slave traders and bought by the Alpha King of Gwangsan Kim.”

_And then they were separated and forced into servitude._ Boo Seungkwan didn’t need to explain that for Soonyoung to surmise that.

He secured the robe with a thick belt around his waist, and almost immediately, he was engulfed by the fragrance of firestorm. There was a hint of calico aster still left on his skin, and together, the two flowers engendered a sweet-smelling concord - an amatory rendition of spring and summer coming together.

What a beautiful and aromatic scent it was…enough to put a tinge of pink on his cheeks.

But Soonyoung could not let himself dawdle in such romantic notions.

The Kwon prince placed a light hand on the Omega’s shoulder. “Do you ever miss your husband, Seungkwan-ssi?”

Finally, Seungkwan moved to face him again, and once more, his expression was contorted in bafflement. “I…don’t really have a reason to. There isn’t much to miss when an Alpha’s presence isn’t absent…”

So he was a courtesan then, and if Soonyoung could guess correctly, Boo Seungkwan was currently the highest-ranking Omega concubine under the Alpha King. 

That meant they would soon become rivals, and a target would soon be hanging on his back. 

The prince suspired in exhaustion. There were too many pessimistic and crippling thoughts running through his mind, and he has not even been here for a full day. “Listen, you do not have to put up a front with me. I know what is expected of both of us. So don’t fool me with false altruism if you will only conspire against me someday.”

Boo Seungkwan was visibly alarmed by his words. “Your mistrust in me is a bit upsetting, Wangja-nim. I was just trying to be as welcoming as possible. But…I also cannot blame you. Given the circumstances of your arrival here, anyone in your position would think the worst in people right now.”

The Kwon Omega’s lips pressed into a thin line. The dejection in Seungkwan's voice had sounded painfully authentic. He could hear no deception in the way Seungkwan had answered, so he was either an expert at fabricating lies or a sincere comrade in the making.

“Wangja-nim, I know you are still recovering from all that has happened these past few days, but please do know that I can be trusted. We are both Omegas, so in this place, we will always understand each other best. Hear me when I say the Omegas in Firestorm Fortress take care of each other.”

Soonyoung found that hard to believe, especially after all the chaos and drama he had seen in his Father’s court. But maybe Seungkwan was not the jealous type, just as there were Alphas who were not overly possessive. “Does it not bother you when the Alpha king’s attention drifts to others?”

“Oh goodness, to politely put it…when he’s not out at war or training with the soldiers, all that man does is indulge in… _recreation_. I’d rather have him bother the other Omegas than have him constantly following me around. I have my specialties, but that doesn’t mean I can keep going all day long! The Alpha king is nefarious for driving people up the wall in his obsessive states.”

That sounded dreadful. But of course, an Alpha with an insatiable lust was always a handful to deal with. Alphas were probably more vicious in bed than at war.

“I hope your back is still in good condition then,” Soonyoung said candidly.

Seungkwan made yet another weird expression. “You say the strangest of things, Wangja-nim.”

He furrowed his brows. He’s never had someone react so bizarrely to almost every single sentence he uttered. “Well then, what would _you_ deem to be a normal thing to say?”

“ _What are we eating for breakfast?_ You can start with that,” the well-dressed Omega said with a smile.

* * *

Soonyoung had never been presented with so much food in his entire life. Although Boo Seungkwan was there to share the meal with him, it was still far too much for just two people. 

Sitting in a dining room close to the kitchen, they’d arrived to a table covered with giant bowls of steaming soybean soup and tofu, heaping servings of rice, fermented cabbage, radishes, potatoes, seasoned cucumbers, seaweed in vinegar, beansprouts, boiled eggs _, and_ fried _fish_. 

_Eggs and fish._

His Omega friends back in the Aster Province would be horrified.

They were not Alphas that required an abundant diet. Omegas could only be fed a couple spoonfuls of grain and vegetables at every collation to maintain their slim bodies. 

Why were they being forced to eat so much?

“Are we going to be fed to the hounds?” the prince whispered in concern.

Seungkwan almost choked on the rice he was chewing on. “What?! No! Goodness, why would you think that?”

“They’re making us gorge ourselves!” His gaze shifted pointedly to the middle of the spread. “And there’s grapes here! _Grapes_ , Seungkwan-ssi! Why would we be served such sweet things for breakfast if we weren’t about to be sacrificed?”

The round-faced Omega winced and made yet another weird expression. “Wangja-nim, this is what everyone eats here in the palace. Stop thinking too much, and start eating! Who would’ve thought you’d be such a picky eater…”

How was he being picky? 

All he was doing was voicing his concern for their lives.

Who wouldn’t want to eat this much everyday?

He took incredibly small bites, hyper-tentative as he chewed. Every bowl seemed to be more delicious than the last, coating his tongue in flavors he’d never tasted before. He didn’t even know what spices were in most of the dishes.

And this was just breakfast. How much more decadent were lunch and dinner going to be?

But even if he wanted to eat everything in front of him, there wasn’t enough space in his stomach to fit it all in, and that brought up another pressing issue.

“Would we be punished if we don’t consume every morsel?”

There was a bit of egg lingering on the corner of Seungkwan’s lips. “I mean…worst that can happen is the cook would feel hurt that you didn’t find the food he made palatable enough. Are none of the dishes to your liking?”

Soonyoung shook his head. “I’m just…not used to all this…”

“You’re probably used to fancier food. I’ll let the cook know that the breakfast wasn’t up to your standards.”

Quite the opposite actually. 

The Omega prince was used to _bland and bitter_ food. Everything in front of him was practically _sinful_.

“Uhm, that really won’t be necessary. The food is very good. Please don’t bring any attention to this matter,” he beseeched anxiously. 

He didn’t want to be misunderstood and later flogged for wasting resources. So Soonyoung quickly stuck more pieces of kimchi into his mouth and gnawed appreciatively. 

Seungkwan did not even bother hiding his wicked sniggering behind his sleeve. “Oh, no. You don’t get to take this away from me!”

“What am I taking away from you?”

His confused words fell on deaf ears. Seungkwan was already heading for the kitchen, using his loud voice to cry out, “Yah, Mingyu-hyung! The prince said your cooking is terrible!”

His voice rattled Soonyoung’s eardrums and induced an awful ringing sensation. He clenched his teeth in annoyance and was very much tempted to throw his spoon at the departing Omega’s head, if debatably, that would be enough to shut up him before one of the guards did. 

As much as he didn’t trust anyone in this place, he genuinely hoped Seungkwan would not be killed off one day for being such a noisy Omega. 

* * *

After breakfast, Seungkwan offered to give him a tour of Firestorm Fortress, which was yet again another strange gesture to extend for a prisoner. But then again, Soonyoung was no ordinary prisoner. Perhaps the concubines needed to know their way around the palace so they would not need escorts whenever the King called for them. 

He had, of course, been hesitant and fearful of the roaming guards that would beat them for loitering. But the well-dressed Omega had reassured him that no such thing would happen. 

Seungkwan had not lied. The Alpha and Beta guards going about their rounds had simply waved and greeted them a pleasant good morning as the two Omegas walked by. Even some of the Alpha dignitaries had been cordial and kept a respectful distance as they briefly toured the library. 

How much power did the Omega Boo Seungkwan have to be treated as if he were a fellow Alpha or Beta? 

How close was he to the Alpha King?

There was no way all the Omegas here were shown the same courtesy. 

Seungkwan was even allowed to enter the Firestorm Garden in the center of the palace. Only the Alpha king and his queen were allowed to enjoy the gardens in the Aster Province. 

As they walked through the cobbled path, Soonyoung gaped at the many different firestorm flowers blooming in the soil. It felt like he was looking at a rainbow, but with even more colors than what followed after a light shower of rain. It was beautiful, and it made him miss his own fields of calico asters back home. 

“His Majesty planted all these himself, just so you know,” Seungkwan commented, arms folding behind him as they leisurely ambled over to the side of yellow-toned blossoms. “Firestorms have always been his favorite.” 

The Omega plucked a single creamy-yellow firestorm and slipped it into the waist belt of Soonyoung’s nightshade robe. “Here, this one matches the lace well.” 

Up close, the prince could see little touches of pink slivers on the delicate petals, making the flower look like a small, soft flame - but one that could never hurt or burn a single soul. 

“I think you’re going to fit right in, Wangja-nim,” Seungkwan remarked in a fond tone. 

There was a warm, softened smile on his lips as he said it, and Soonyoung wasn’t sure what to make of that.

Once the tour had ended, the poshly-dressed Omega returned him to his quarters and insisted that Soonyoung relax in his room until he could return to fetch the prince for supper. Seungkwan had other tasks he needed to accomplish before dusk but promised that they would have more activities to do the following day.

The Kwon Omega sighed as he paced around his room, unable to shake off his anxieties and relentless thoughts. 

Too much had happened in the last few days. 

Everything was such a mess now. No matter how much he knew Seungkwan was trying to appease him, Soonyoung just couldn’t dispel the acrimony feeding off of his negative emotions. 

They weren’t chaining him, and they weren’t locking him up in a dungeon. There were no guards watching his every move. He was their captive, but they weren’t afraid of him trying to escape or create chaos inside the palace.

Both the King and the General saw him as _docile_ \- a good little Omega who’d been taught how to properly behave since he was young. 

An Omega who only knew how to _please_.

And that was a huge mistake.

Because by presenting him with such liberties, they were digging their own graves.

Soonyoung leered at the window and stomped towards it. He carefully nudged the glass pane open and slipped out onto the side of the pavilion. He crossed over a bridge on top of a small lily pond and snuck his way into an opposite wing in the palace.

As quietly as possible, he briskly walked through halls and opened rooms to see what was inside, hoping to find something, _anything_ that could help him plot a conspiracy.

Most of the rooms were bed chambers, likely occupied by the Alpha dignitaries currently at work. Some of them housed unique valuables inside, like the one room with every musical instrument Soonyoung could name - all crammed into a single living space. Another dignitary had a wide variety of liquor, some with labels written in characters he could not understand, stashed away under his bed. One of the rooms had been so minimally furnished and ornamented that the only thing interesting inside was the dignitary’s pet rabbits - thirteen adorable little bunnies with the softest white fur.

After going through a few more rooms, the prince finally stumbled upon a treasure trove.

Inside this chamber, the walls were red, and weapons of different shapes and sizes littered every surface. Within a glass cabinet, there was an elaborately crafted armor on display. Just by looking at it, Soonyoung could imagine how heavy it weighed. The plates were black iron, supported by stiffened leather. At the cuffs and ends of the chain mail, there was a thick lining in the color of nightshade and gold. Seated on a small table right next to the armor was a mask painted with a hound’s face.

Soonyoung immediately backed away when he realized who exactly owned the panoply.

This was the weapons room of his fiancé’s killer - the armory of the Masked General who had torn away his wedding robes and paraded him through the city as his prized plunder. 

The rage inside him overflowed like a boiling cauldron of water. 

He rummaged through the drawers and chests to find something to take for himself. This was pay back for what had been done to him. 

Soonyoung violated the Alpha’s weapons with his _dirty Omega hands_ and took one of the General’s ornate daggers for himself. He slipped the sheathed knife into his waist belt, right beneath the folded layer where his flower was safely tucked. 

The prince tiptoed out, warily looking left and right for any guards, before shutting the door and returning to the opposite wing he came from. 

The window to his room had been blown shut by the wind, and he couldn’t open it from the outside. So he climbed over a low, wood-carved fence to enter the corridor to his room. 

His feet bounded forward quickly as he looked behind him. But before he could scurry to the safety of his room, Soonyoung collided into another person’s body. 

“Oh! Forgive me!” he blurted out nervously. “I wasn’t being careful.”

The prince tried side-stepping away from him, but the other man - another Omega - wordlessly mirrored Soonyoung’s actions and occluded his retreat. 

“I’m really sorry for bumping into you. I’m not feeling too well,” Soonyoung lied. “I need to rest, and my quarters are right behind you so…if you could please excuse me-” 

“I know where you’re assigned to sleep,” the thin Omega finally spoke, insipidly at that. He had a hand behind his back - a normal stance expected of palace dwellers so their arms would not flail, but the other hand…was holding a sheathed sword. 

Soonyoung swallowed, fearful of why this Omega had been allowed to handle a sword and why he was right in front of the prince’s room with said weapon. 

Was he a guard? 

That was impossible. Omegas were never bestowed those kinds of positions.

“T-Then…if y-you…if you would be s-so kind as to let me p-pass?” the prince stuttered.

He frantically stepped to the side again, but the other Omega would not yield.

“What did you take from the General’s armory?” His tone had not been venomous, but an underlying, sharp edge was there.

“I…I don’t know w-what you mean…” Soonyoung deluded, keeping his gaze as innocent as possible. Even though they both knew, for certain, that the prince had stolen something. 

Unlike Seungkwan, this person seemed to be more of the pernicious type - a foe-in-the-making who he had to stay far, far away from. 

The thin Omega’s expression hardened. “Is everyone from the Aster Province a lousy liar?”

“I didn’t take anything! Just leave me alone!” the Kwon prince exclaimed. This time, he roughly shouldered his way to his chambers.

The willowy Omega caught his wrist, clasping around it with an astonishingly firm grip. “We are not done talking. Just because you’re a prince doesn’t mean you can just take what is not yours!”

Soonyoung angrily glowered at his antagonist, tugging at his wrist. “L-Let go of me!”

The grip around his wrist only tightened further. "What did you steal?!"

He tugged but could not release himself despite the strain. "Let me go! Leave me alone!"

“ _Minghao, what are you doing?_ ”

It was an Alpha’s voice. The timbre was deep and assuaging, but it sounded dangerous enough to make shivers run down Soonyoung's spine.

They both turned to see a tall and domineering Alpha stalking towards them, a basket of vegetables in hand, shoulders squared and face stern. He wasn’t dressed in nightshade nor was he adorned in flamboyant clothing. In fact, whatever he was wearing could hardly be considered as appropriate. Even the Omega beside him was clothed in better material. He had no outer garments on besides a cream-colored dress robe over his inner trousers and blouse. No respectable Alpha who expected others to fear them would prance around in such an underdressed state. 

The lines of his muscles could be traced through the thin fabric. He could seriously hurt Soonyoung if he wanted to, crush his neck without the least bit of effort, and that fact somehow made his breath hitch in both fear and excitement. 

He didn’t want to admit it, but the Alpha was cataclysmically handsome. The Omega wouldn’t be surprised if hundreds of beautiful maidens were constantly vying for his attention. His skin was sun-kissed and smooth. He had slightly upturned eyes that emanated a natural coldness, prominent cheekbones, and a sharp jawline. When he parted his lips, Soonyoung could see a pair of fangs that stood out from the rest of his teeth. They were sharp like the ones inside a wolf’s mouth, maybe even sharp enough to rip into someone’s throat. 

When their eyes met…Soonyoung couldn’t help but shudder under the Alpha’s inquisitive glance.

“Mingyu,” the willowy Omega groused, glaring at the Alpha. 

_Mingyu._

It was the cook Boo Seungkwan had spoken with earlier. 

The Kwon prince’s tense body relaxed. This Alpha didn’t have a high enough rank to do anything to him.

But why had an Alpha with such an astounding physique been given such a lowly position? Bastard sons of kings were at least assigned as soldiers in the army. Was he a captive from a conquered nation? Had he been purchased from slave traders just like Seungkwan and his husband?

Soonyoung could admit that he was quite curious but uncomfortably so. He did not like how he was so intrigued by an Alpha in enemy territory. Whether they were within an upper echelon or not, he knew that any living and breathing Alpha could hurt him in more ways than one.

Mingyu’s eyes avidly lingered over the prince, before they blinked and quickly flitted back to the irritated Omega holding a sword. “Let him go,” he stated calmly.

Minghao’s expression warped into a face of betrayal. “He was in the armory!”

“That does not matter. Let him go.”

“But he- How can you just-”

“ _Xu Minghao. Let him go._ ”

It didn’t sound like a warning. It wasn’t even close to an Alpha command. There was a gentleness in the way he’d spoken - something akin to how an Omega would talk to their young, but his words were as adamantine as any Alpha’s. 

His tenderness had been atypical, but in the end, Mingyu reaffirmed who exactly the Alpha was between him and Minghao.

“Fine!” 

Minghao petulantly released his wrist, and Soonyoung dashed straight into his room, locking the door behind him as his heart raced inside his chest.

He could hear them arguing outside his door, in a language he was unfamiliar with, but it was imminent that Minghao was furiously reprimanding the cook. 

Eventually, their voices withered away as they left his wing.

The prince did not know why the Alpha had helped him, but he hoped that the willowy Omega wouldn’t cause him any trouble with the General or the King. 

Soonyoung didn’t think his conscience could take it if someone else was punished because of something he himself had done. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...if anyone is wondering, Bulgae means Fire Hound in Hangul. I think it would be considered a spoiler if I reveal why I named the fic this, but I really felt like it fit. The Bulgae are from Korean mythology, and with this being a historical/fantasy AU, the title really embodies all the secrets the following chapters will reveal. As much as this is Soonyoung's story, there is another person of equal importance in this entire thing *wink wink*. Also, Soonyoung here kind of has a one-tracked idea about this whole situation he's in, so please take his POV lightly. I was trying to make certain things obvious, but not too obvious. Let's just say, he won't be suffering YET. XDDDDD
> 
> Anyway, hope you guys are liking it so far. Thank you all for taking the time to read. Comments are kudos are LOVE. Please show this SoonGyu fic and this humble writer some love <3333333


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Itty bitty note for this chapter: a gayageum is a traditional Korean, zither-like string instrument.

_Between the time when flowers bloom and scatter, scars heal and sprouts emerge. We live for this moment, the first and last. That's why I won't take you for granted, because you love somebody like me..._

_-Seventeen, Fallin' Flower (2020)_

The Kwon Omega had been in and out of sleep all throughout the night, startling himself awake with dread and expecting to find the Alpha King hovering over his body - ready to sink his teeth into Soonyoung’s neck and steal his chastity through force. 

But when Seungkwan had once again woken him the next morning - smiling excitedly about all the fun activities awaiting them, Soonyoung couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of relief pour over him like a fountain of water. He’d been spared another night it seemed, and he was just glad the King had been too preoccupied with other affairs (or other Omegas) to pay him an unwanted visit. 

Breakfast was an entirely different provision from the day before.

His Omega contemporary was definitely not pleased with today’s meal. 

“I guess Minghao-hyung had to take over kitchen duty for the day,” he bemoaned, eyeing the watery porridge in his bowl with contempt. “He doesn’t believe in seasoning food.”

Just as Seungkwan had implied, the porridge had been cooked with just rice and water, without the aid of salt or garlic to add any sort of flavor. It was definitely something Soonyoung was more used to eating, and so he wondered whether Minghao had also grown up as an Omega in court.

“But don’t worry, Wangja-nim! Tomorrow, I believe Junhui-hyung will be cooking for us, and he makes the best food in the palace! He’s even better at cooking than Mingyu-hyung!”

At the mention of the absent cook, the Omega prince felt his heart drop.

“Seungkwan-ssi…what…what happened to Mingyu?” he dared to ask. 

Because Soonyoung needed to know if his misdeeds had led to another paying for the consequences. 

“Oh, uhh- don’t worry about Mingyu-hyung! He’s just fine. He’s perfectly fine,” Seungkwan chuckled nervously. 

Soonyoung bit his lower lip. He knew it. He knew something bad had happened to the cook. 

“Seungkwan-ssi, please…just tell me what happened…”

The loud Omega carefully chose his words. “It’s…nothing big. It’s just that he and Minghao got into an argument yesterday, and those two are always bickering with each other. So we thought that…we thought they would be fine by nightfall. Their quarrels don’t usually last long. But I...I guess they were fighting about something a lot more serious this time, and well…Mingyu-hyung…he’s…”

The prince ruefully lowered his gaze. “He’s being punished, isn’t he?”

“I wouldn’t call it that, but…uhh…Minghao-hyung has always been on the harsh side…and as the General’s most trusted Omega, he is-”

“ _-someone obligated to set that stupid Alpha straight,_ ” came an infringing voice.

The Kwon prince could hear the slightest bit of an accent in the intruder’s words, but what made him instantly recognize the owner’s voice was the inhospitable tone that accompanied every syllable. 

Minghao stepped into the modest dining area, looking just as surly as he’d been yesterday, but he was unarmed and more casually dressed this time around. The vambraces around his forearms were still there though, and only now did Soonyoung notice the pattern of clematis blossoms etched into the plates.

The thin Omega's eyes drifted to the untouched bowl of porridge in front of the prince. “So you’re not going to eat my food? That’s fine. You can starve for all I care.”

“ _Hyung_ ,” Seungkwan lamented. “Please don’t be so mean.”

But Soonyoung was feeling equally rancorous today. “You shouldn’t speak so poorly of someone who works hard to _cook your meals everyday_. You have no right to call him stupid.” 

He hated anyone who talked down on servants. They may not have had the same privileges as those born above their status, but that didn’t mean they could be freely labelled with such awful designations. 

“Why would you care?” Minghao hissed back. “You certainly had no care for him yesterday.”

Soonyoung held back a snarl, and his mouth became tightly closed.

The gangly Omega knew he had no refute, and so he continued his stinging sermon. “Acting so righteous in front of others…as if you had _no fault whatsoever_ with what happened. Mingyu had it coming, didn’t he? _Wangja-nim_?”

Seungkwan stared at them both in disconcertment, but a light of comprehension in his eyes quickly dawned over his confusion. Now, he truly understood why Minghao and Mingyu had had an argument.

The prince glowered at the thin Omega, but then his gaze weakened, because Minghao’s words had dug so deep into his chest. Soonyoung cringed and said, “He didn’t do anything wrong. _I did._ So you can all punish me instead.”

“ _Too late_ ,” Minghao jeered cruelly, before retreating back into the kitchen. 

Soonyoung stood up from the table and made his way out into the courtyard. He needed fresh air and space to soothe his remorseful sentiments. The small amount of hunger he’d felt this morning had long disappeared, and the pit of his stomach instead felt heavy and full with distress.

Was the Alpha cook alright?

“Wangja-nim!” Seungkwan called after him, rushing to catch up to his bounding steps.

A basket of white peaches was shoved into the prince’s arms - six exquisite pieces of freshly picked fruit, colored soft white and pink in the prime of its season.

There was a hopeful glimmer in the Omega’s orbs, and a subdued smile on his lips. “We can resume our activities at a later time. Would you be so kind as to take these peaches to Mingyu-hyung? Please?”

It was funny how Seungkwan seemed to be incredibly astute despite his garrulous and easily-frazzled nature.

Soonyoung didn’t have the gall within him to say no.

“W-Where is he, Seungkwan-ssi?” 

“Minghao-hyung made him go to the springs yesterday to uhh…ponder upon his actions. He should still be there.”

The Kwon Omega nodded. He remembered the path behind the castle that led to the springs. Seungkwan had mentioned it the day before but had not yet taken him there to see the cold and clear waters.

He made his way behind the pavilion, avoiding the gazes of the Alpha and Beta guards doing their hourly rounds, and exited the palace through a small gate close to the mountains.

There were also guards walking around the back way, but they had giant hounds trailing behind them. 

Soonyoung felt chills at the sight of the dogs. Though their furs were not set ablaze with fire like the night of the Kwak Clan’s massacre, they were still intimidating to look at. The beasts were enormous and much more massive in size compared to their regular wolf counterparts, and their sharp fangs were so big that they peaked out of their muzzles. 

The prince darted to the mountains. Following the paved walkway, he found a stony staircase that led downwards through a thick bamboo forrest. He could hear the water flowing from the spring below, and with careful steps, the Omega descended into the mesmerizing green of nature.

At the very bottom, he’d caught sight of the spring and the fog forming over the surface. But Soonyoung had not been prepared to see a naked Alpha, waist-deep in cold water. 

Blood rushed to his cheeks as his heart pounded viciously in his chest. He turned his whole body away, hands tightening over the basket handles. He willed away the provocative image he’d just seen, frantically uttering one apology after another. Even though he’d only seen the upper half of Mingyu’s body, it was still extremely improper, especially between an unmated Alpha and Omega. 

His parents would have him thrown into a pig pen and drowned in a lake if they ever found out.

Mingyu had sensed his encroaching presence and hastily threw a robe over himself. 

“ _Wangja-nim…_ ” the Alpha spoke softly behind him, breathily calling out to him with his given title. There was something delicate in the way he’d composed his words. Soonyoung didn’t know what it was, but it brought his heart to a calming rhythm of halcyon.

Taking a deep breath, he spun around to face the cook. His gaze landed on the Alpha’s covered chest, the thin material of his robe soaking up the wet droplets of water on his skin. His eyes trailed up the worn out patterns on his clothes and found the cook’s deep brown orbs staring back at him. 

Mingyu’s hair was soaked, and his bangs were dripping with water and sticking to his forehead. The drops trickled down the features of his beguiling face, all the way to his parted lips. 

Soonyoung was even more abashed now than he was earlier, but the prince kept his head high - as a royal should no matter how embarrassed he felt.

“I apologize for what just happened. I didn’t mean to intrude on such a private moment,” Soonyoung stated coherently, ignoring the dryness in his mouth. “And I also deeply apologize for what happened yesterday…”

He held the basket of peaches out, head hung low as he waited for the cook to receive them. “Seungkwan asked me to bring you these. We both know that Minghao sent you here to suffer for something you did not do. If it is within your heart, I would like to ask you to please forgive this impious prince for causing you grief.”

The cook accepted the fruit with shaky hands. His eyes discovered the firestorm flower fastened to Soonyoung’s waist belt. They widened for a fraction of a second, before Mingyu looked away almost uncomfortably. “You…need not apologize…for anything.”

For someone so menacing and large, Mingyu had an astonishingly quiet voice. If he hadn’t been listening carefully, Soonyoung would not have heard what he’d said.

“Yes, I do,” the prince answered firmly. “It was my fault you were unfairly punished, and I will rectify this. I will tell the General I stole his weapon and submit myself for retribution.”

Mingyu sharply lifted his eyes. No expression was held back as he peered at the prince with profound affliction. “N-No!!!”

The Alpha pressed the basket of peaches against his chest and stepped forward, desperate and anguished. “Wangja-nim must never feel pain…”

Soonyoung was taken aback by the intensity of the cook’s emotions. He couldn’t stand seeing someone like this - so fearful of him, so afraid that he would cause them agony again at any moment. But even then, this kind and meek Alpha was still stubbornly on his side. 

Why was the cook still trying to protect him?

“Please, Mingyu-ssi, I must make this right.”

Mingyu shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut as Soonyoung instinctually reached out to grab hold of the cook’s hands. An Omega’s sincere touch always brought peace to Alphas under stress. Back home, he would always do this for his father to bring him to a more reposeful mood. 

The Alpha moved away immediately at the slightest contact of their skins. “I…I…” he struggled to speak, face bright and burning in scarlet. 

“I am unworthy!” Mingyu cried out, before running off deeper into the forrest and leaving Soonyoung half-bewildered and half-flustered by what the Alpha had said.

* * *

He deposited the knife onto the countertop where Minghao was cutting up vegetables for lunch. 

“Let your general know that I am deeply regretful for stealing his knife,” Soonyoung stated. “I will apologize to him in person and accept any punishment he deems fit upon our meeting. You can release the cook from his unfair punishment.”

The other Omega did not pause from his task despite the prince’s declaration. The sound of his Chinese cleaver sliding across a courgette ate up the silence between them. Minghao made no indication that he’d heard Soonyoung talking, and the longer he waited for an answer, the more foolish he felt.

“Yah! Did you not hear what I just said?!” The Kwon Omega’s once regal posture slumped over to force eye contact between the two of them. “Leave Mingyu alone. Make _me_ suffer, because I was the one who wronged your precious General.”

Minghao angrily imbedded his cleaver into the wooden cutting board and glared at the prince.

“So you think just because you are a prince, I will act as your servant?! Do you think I’m some kind of messenger? With nothing else to do but follow your every whim?!”

Soonyoung couldn’t understand where all this hostility was coming from. “Seungkwan said you are the General’s most trusted Omega. It is only right that I approach you in order to speak with such a high-ranking Alpha. I only wish to set things right.”

“Like I said before, _too late_ ,” Minghao hissed venomously. “Keep the blade. As far as I’m concerned, it’s _still missing_ , and Mingyu can lie for you all he wants. _I won’t be the one suffering the consequences_.”

“How can you be so cruel?! That Alpha may be just a cook, but he’s still a person who deserves respect and kindness from those above him!”

“You think I’m treating him like this _because he’s a cook_?” The thin Omega asked incredulously and sneered mockingly at the prince. “How am I the only one who can see how witless you are?! Stop acting like you care about him when it’s so obvious that you don’t! People like you are the reason why others get hurt! I can see right through your demure facade! You’re nothing but a selfish, repulsive, low-life dressed in a prince’s clothing!”

He felt a tear run down his face, and that one droplet had stunned them both into silence. He was angry with what Minghao had said - there was no question about that, but the tears were a product of _years_ of pent-up emotions. The Omega’s awful words had caused the dam to overflow and spill for others to see all the hurt that had accumulated. 

Soonyoung’s hand quickly wiped the tear away. He didn’t sob or lash out at the other Omega. Instead, the prince remained composed like he’d been taught all those years, reeling in all his emotions and hiding them under a blank mask once more. “If…that is how you perceive me to be, then I can not change your mind. Say whatever you want about me… _Hurt me_ …not the ones who’ve done no wrong.”

Minghao backed away from the prince and frowned, his narrow eyes somewhat calculating.

The two Omegas peered at each other, tension heavy in the air. They both had a palpable level of animosity towards one another, but neither of them had the desire to stir up more trouble. If someone else were to get involved in their little squabble, Soonyoung feared an outcome that would harm them both.

Minghao seemed to share his worries. The willowy Omega sighed deeply and, despite the furrow that would not leave his brows, finally relented. “…Mingyu will resume his duties tomorrow. Do not ever speak of this incident to anyone.”

The ornate knife was nudged in the prince’s direction. “The General won’t be looking for it…so keep it.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Keep it or I will break every bone in your body.”

Soonyoung scowled at the Omega but didn’t respond. He hesitantly returned the sheathed blade to its original hiding place under his belt. 

All this trouble and now he was being forced to keep the weapon in his possession? The Omegas of this palace were a very strange and fickle lot indeed.

“Oh, and one last thing,” Minghao added.

“What?”

He wasn’t sure if his mind was playing tricks on him, but Soonyoung could have sworn he’d seen Minghao’s lips quiver the slightest bit. “Do not _ever_ tell _His Highness_ that I made you cry.”

“Why would I-” Soonyoung took a deep and exasperated breath. “I doubt that he would even care.”

Minghao huffed and rolled his eyes, before picking up a basket and walking away from the prince. “I wish to live a peaceful married life in the future once all this is over. If I die because of you, I will come back as a vengeful spirit and terrorize you to the point of madness.”

“Hey! How can you request something of me _and_ threaten me at the same time?”

His question was left unanswered as Minghao disappeared into the pantry room, but not before giving the Omega prince one final death stare in warning.

* * *

Soonyoung spent most of the week doing various errands with Seungkwan. The two of them mostly delivered items from one part of the palace to another - freshly cleaned robes, blank paper scrolls and ink, brushed off shoes, afternoon snacks, and buckets of water. Other times, they would do menial labor in the pavilion like mending clothes, polishing ornaments, and making candles. There were even times when they would sit in a designated art room and paint all day, although he was uncertain why he was being assigned to such an undertaking. The Kwon Omega was not particularly skilled in painting, but his works were always being whisked away at the end of it - perhaps to be sold to the townsfolk? He may never know. Seungkwan would not tell him.

Without his companion, there wasn’t much for the prince to do between meal times. As much as he loved the privacy of a room and the freedom he’d been given to roam around whenever he wanted to, Soonyoung preferred to be doing something rather than nothing. After all, the Kwon Omega knew the food he consumed everyday was not free of charge, and he would very much rather be doing facile tasks than servicing the King of Gwangsan Kim.

He still had not encountered the Alpha ruler, and no one ever entered the chamber he slumbered in besides Seungkwan. 

His mind only ever became peaceful when it shut down from fatigue, but before that, he was always too fearful to comfortably fall asleep. 

Soonyoung did not want to be deflowered, but he also did not want to be tortured in this way. It felt as if the Alpha king wanted the prince to dread his impending loss of virtue for as long as possible - to debilitate him with his own horrible thoughts - and then forcibly take what he wanted once Soonyoung had finally gone mad from paranoia and fear.

Or maybe the king had no plans to take him and was instead keeping him as a prize for one of his men to devour.

Either way, he could only be thankful for every morning he woke up untouched, and now, Soonyoung couldn’t help but feel inexplicable joy whenever he opened his eyes to Boo Seungkwan’s cheerful face.

Throughout the week, he’d tried to find out how Mingyu was doing, but every time he entered the kitchen, the cook was nowhere to be seen. It was possible that he was being avoided, and the Omega couldn’t blame him. If he had been in Mingyu’s place, he would also be steering clear of the person who’d caused his suffering.

On a particularly gloomy afternoon, he chose to walk around the Firestorm Garden to admire the plants before winter came. The winds were getting chillier as the days went by, and soon, the trees would turn orange and red, then become bare.

The prince stumbled upon a beautiful patch of magenta flowers. They had the tone of calico asters but petals in the shape of firestorms. He plucked one blossom just as Seungkwan had and attached it safely to band of his waist belt. 

He’d read in the library recently that the Island of Paeonia had a peculiar custom. Peonies were weaved into the braided tresses of women and tucked into the waist belts of men, but only if they were searching for love. 

Although it was a practice acknowledged only in Paeonia, Soonyoung wondered if Seungkwan had done it on purpose because he knew what the prince desired. 

Would there ever be a chance for him to find love someday? 

The Paeonian tradition had tickled his romantic side, and so the prince decided to wear flowers on his waist belt everyday until he could find his one true mate. It was pointless in his given state, but his heart still _yearned_.

All he could do was hope in secret. 

Soonyoung did not care if he one day married an Alpha, Beta, or even another Omega. As long as they loved him and truly accepted him for who he was, the prince could care less about their looks or their wealth. 

He wasn’t sure when he started hearing the sound of a gayageum, but once his mind had registered the harmonious melody, Soonyoung couldn’t help but search for the musician playing the wondrous instrument. 

There was no one else in the garden with him, but the Kwon prince knew it was coming from somewhere nearby. 

Before exiting the cloister garth, he spotted a door concealed in greenery. Without much dithering, Soonyoung struggled to pry it open. The underused wooden panel eventually slid into a gaping wide view, and what he found on the other side was something unexpected.

Past the vestibule was an extension of the garden, but it wasn’t just a secret addition to the main ground. This was the entrance to someone’s concealed quarters.

Was this the King’s official chambers?

For a moment, the prince’s body had turned cold and clammy, but the musician seemed to have sensed his dismay and immediately changed the song to a more mollifying tune.

It was a fair-skinned, svelte male playing the gayageum, poised with his back completely straight like a regal monarch. He was sitting on a wooden platform, and behind him were opened doors that led to an elegantly decorated boudoir.

All around him were hundreds of pastel pink stargazers and the rarest of blue roses. Soonyoung never thought he’d actually ever see roses in such a vibrant color. One of his books in the Aster Province shared a sad tale of blue roses going extinct after the people of the Moon Shadow Village mysteriously disappeared. The blue-hued blossom was said to have been their horticultural specialty - a secret passed down only to the descendants of the Yoon Family. 

The prince could smell the scent of stargazers on gayageum player’s clothes, as well as the enticing fragrance seeping from his creamy skin. He was an Omega just like Soonyoung.

Maybe this was the King’s spouse? 

The Omega had to be a very important person for him to be living in such a splendid, well-hidden part of the palace.

He was also dressed in luxurious clothing, and they were even more beautiful and meticulously designed than the robes Seungkwan wore.

But what truly caught Soonyoung’s attention, was the twinkling light in the handsome Omega’s eyes. They were glistening so vividly and brilliantly that it made the prince’s heart flutter.

“Hello,” he lightly greeted the Kwon Omega with an affable smile. Even his voice sounded silken and noble. 

“U-Uhm, hello…I’m very sorry to have disturbed you,” Soonyoung responded timidly. 

The beauteous Omega chuckled softly, and his eyes shined even brighter. “Please do not apologize. I would not mind some company. I haven’t had any visitors in a very long time.”

“Oh…o-okay.”

He crossed the threshold and followed the cobble-stone path lined with stargazers and roses. Once he’d stepped onto the wooden platform, Soonyoung seated himself next to the fair-skinned Omega, who looked even more opulent and awe-inspiring up close.

The gayageum player strung the instrument with long and nimble fingers. Each musical note he released was well-practiced and perfect, and the Kwon prince couldn’t help but voice his admiration. 

“You play very skillfully.”

“Thank you. That is very kind of you to say.”

The musician had a powerful aura of serenity and benevolence, and there was only gentleness in every word he spoke and every strum of his strings. 

Soonyoung felt strangely at peace in the Omega’s presence. His intuition was not blaring warning signs as he carefully observed the gayageum player. In his heart, he knew right away that this was an unordinary human being - a special soul who would never do harm unto others, and a person like that was incredibly difficult to find.

“May I know your name?”

“I am Hong Jisoo,” the Omega said. “Second Prince of the Baeghab Nation’s Royal Family.”

Soonyoung was astounded by the revelation. 

The Three Princes of Baeghab were renowned across the land for their alluring features and strict upbringing. He had read about the Namyang Hong Clan many years ago, but now he truly understood why the scribes wrote so grandiosely about the middle son.

Hong Jisoo was absolutely stunning.

How did the Second Prince end up here of all places? 

Whatever the reason, Soonyoung was still excited to meet another royal from a land so far away.

“And may I know who you are?” Hong Jisoo queried without even the slightest tone of mistrust.

The Kwon Omega scooted closer to the gayageum player and grinned. “My name is Kwon Soonyoung, Crown Prince of the Aster Province.”

Jisoo was glowing even brighter now. “Ah, it’s _you_ … It pleases me to know that you are now here with us.”

There was a sort of familiarity with the way he’d regarded Soonyoung, even though the two of them had never met before.

_It’s you…_

He wasn’t sure what the Second Prince had meant by that, and it made him feel uneasy. So the Kwon Omega chose to divert the conversation away from himself.

“I’ve heard of your great land! That explains the stargazers all around your private dwelling!”

“Yes, we are very fond of our national flower.” 

His words had only worked as a only a temporary distraction. 

Jisoo’s eyes crinkled as they swept over Soonyoung’s attire, and once again, he became of the interest of their conversation. “And I see that you are now well-acquainted with the beloved firestorms of this fortress. The scent compliments you very well.”

Maybe they had both been taken to the palace by force, and neither one of them wanted to reiterate their embarrassing abduction.

The Kwon prince’s cheeks reddened. “T-This is what I’ve been given to wear. I arrived here only recently, and unfortunately, I could not bring any clothes of my own. I guess it’s also because of this little one right here.” 

He gestured to the flower tucked in his belt. “I picked it up from the gardens. It was only by fate’s plans that I found the veiled passage to your residence.”

“Well, now that you know of the door’s existence, you are free to come visit me anytime. I don’t really get to leave this place often.”

At the implication of his isolation, there was a question Soonyoung dared to ask. Only certain Omegas in a palace were shielded away from the prying eyes of other Alphas and Betas.

“Are you- Are you married to the King of Gwangsan Kim?”

Jisoo made a flabbergasted expression, but a series of giggles soon followed after. “What a silly question! Of course, we are not married. Why would you even think that? The King has only ever dreamed of marrying _one special person_. It wouldn’t be right for me to be married to him at all now would it?”

Soonyoung felt his cheeks grow even hotter. “Then, are you one of his…concubines?”

“Dear heavens, no!” At least one person was having a merry time with their conversation. Jisoo was full of smiles and laughter, as if the very thought of being intimate with the Alpha King in any way was so humorously far-fetched. “I am happily promised to another.”

_Happily promised…_

Such an enviable circumstance he could only dream of being in. 

“Oh, I…uhm…I see. Forgive me for assuming such things. I meant no offense.”

The Second Prince waved off his concerns. “Now that all these misunderstandings have been cleared…tell me, when will the wedding be taking place?”

Cold apprehension slithered up his spine, making his fingers go numb and his stomach feel queazy. “Wedding? The w-wedding…My… my wed- my wedding?”

Jisoo nodded gleefully. 

The Second Prince had not been informed it seemed. 

“Hong Jisoo-ssi, my intended is…he is…” Soonyoung started trembling. The images of blood and fire were still fresh in his mind. Would it be right for him to tell Hong Jisoo? 

The handsome Omega’s smile slipped away slowly. “Kwon Soonyoung-ssi?”

It would only be right to be honest, the Kwon prince decided. He had to face what had happened and move on. Talking about the massacre was going to be part of that process. Questions were bound to come, and he had to get used to speaking of his awful experiences now.

“…my intended is dead…”

The color in Jisoo’s face drained in an instant. “What? But…but I thought- I thought that he…he was just…w-what happened?! What happened to him?!”

Soonyoung could practically feel the panic radiating off of the Second Prince’s body. 

“Your king...he ordered an attack the night before our wedding. His general murdered my fiancé,” he explained steadily, despite the tremors in his hands. “He...killed Kwak Youngmin in Osmanthus City.”

“Kwak? K-Kwak Youngmin? You were…you were going to marry…Kwak Youngmin...”

The Omega started hyperventilating, and his eyes were unblinking as he clutched his chest in agony. The light in his orbs were dissipating as quickly as paper set ablaze. 

“Jisoo-ssi? Jisoo-ssi, are you okay?!”

The Second Prince of Namyang Hong started screaming and crying at the top of his lungs, and Soonyoung didn’t know what to do to pacify him. He did not know what to say to quiet his wails.

An Alpha - draped in the same style of robes as Minghao - raced through the garden door, urgently running to Jisoo’s side. He shoved the Kwon Omega off of the Second Prince and commanded, “ _Get away from him!_ ”

Soonyoung’s body heeded the order without his own control. It was an Alpha’s command, so he had no choice but to follow.

He stepped away and kept his distance with teary eyes.

He’d only met the Second Prince of Namyang Hong mere minutes ago, but to see him like this felt horrible. A kind soul like Jisoo shouldn’t be weeping so frightfully. 

What had his former betrothed done? Why had Hong Jisoo turned unhinged at the mention of Kwak Youngmin’s name?

“Jisoo? Jisoo, I am here,” the Alpha whispered into the handsome Omega’s ear, gathering him up into his arms as a lover would. “I am here with you.”

The gayageum player could not be consoled. He thrashed in the Alpha’s arms, tears streaming down his pain-stricken face. “He’s going to hurt me! Jeonghan! He’s going to- J-Jeonghan…Jeonghan, I’m going to die!”

“You’re not going to die! I promise you, Jisoo,” the Alpha, Jeonghan, continued muttering. His hand came up to bury Jisoo’s face into his chest. “I won’t ever let anyone hurt you again…I won’t ever leave your side no matter what.”

His crying was ceaseless, but Jeonghan would not let go of him no matter how much he screamed and kicked. He repeatedly whispered words of comfort, and Soonyoung was in awe of how ardently Jeonghan had been chanting them. He’d never heard such an impassioned sonnet spill from an Alpha’s lips before. 

_I am here._

_You are safe._

_I am with you._

_I will never leave you._

_I will never let anyone hurt you again._

_I will never let anyone take you away._

Was this love?

Was this how love sounded like?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaand now Soonyoungie has met more people in the palace! Just a quick explanation in case anyone was wondering, the "Andong" Kwon and the "Namyang" Hong in their names are like special designations 'cuz their families are powerful. So like there can be other Hong, Kim, Kwon families but they're not specifically from royalty. In real life, Hoshi really is a descendant from Andong Kwon! So that gave me the inspiration to use these special addition to their last names.
> 
> So far, here are our characters, the places they came from, and their official flowers:
> 
> Kwon Soonyoung - Aster Province (Calico Asters)  
> Boo Seungkwan - Island of Paeonia (Peonies)  
> Hong Jisoo - Baeghab Nation (Stargazers)  
> Xu Minghao - To be revealed (Clematis)
> 
> Kudos and comments fuel my creativity XDDDDD


	4. Chapter 4

_Between the time when flowers bloom and scatter, scars heal and sprouts emerge. We live for this moment, the first and last. That's why I won't take you for granted, because you love somebody like me... -Seventeen, Fallin' Flower (2020)_

Jeonghan gently slid the doors to Jisoo’s bedroom close. He glowered at Soonyoung, before gesturing for the Omega to follow him out the hidden garden.

Jisoo had eventually quieted down in the Alpha’s arms and fallen asleep, but not before drying his eyes out and screaming his throat raw and bloody. It was only his body’s natural reaction to exhaustion that he’d finally lost consciousness and found peace again. Jeonghan had tucked him into bed afterwards and lighted sweet-smelling, calming candles all over the room.

Once they were past the cloisters of the main garth, the infuriated Alpha turned to him and spoke loud and harsh. “What did you say to him?!”

The prince had to hold back a whimper from reverberating within this throat. But even though he was obviously intimidate by the Alpha, Soonyoung forced himself to put up a brave countenance. 

“He asked about my betrothal…” he responded frankly. “…and I told him the truth. Your general killed Kwak Youngmin.”

The Alpha’s eyes flared up - the smoldering embers in his orbs transforming into a maelstrom of fire. He bared his teeth and growled at the prince. 

“He’s been unwell for so long…Jisoo finally started smiling again just days ago! He was finally getting better! Did you really have to say that bastard’s name in front of him?!”

Soonyoung scowled at the Alpha and stood his ground. “Well did your master have to kill an entire city of innocent people?!”

“What do you know of their innocence?! How can you say to me that none of them were sinners?! I doubt that you even knew what kind of family you were marrying into!”

There was an ugly truth in his words. Soonyoung had not truly known the clan and the heir he had been engaged too. Other than that they were a powerful family and had an abundance of resources and allies, he had no other knowledge about the members of the Oeseong Kwak Clan. That was a major fault in arranged marriages.

But the Omega had not asked for the betrothal. He had not asked to marry a stranger. Why was he now being antagonized for simply following his parents’ wishes? For wanting to protect his people in the only way he could?

The prince balled his fists, nails digging painfully into his palms. “And you can say that you do?! You can say that you know their family and what kind of people they were?”

“Yes! I do know!” Jeonghan’s body was shaking, and the Kwon Omega had expected even more roaring to come. But instead, the Alpha’s clamorous voice had dwindled into a sad and harrowing mumble. “ _Jisoo certainly knows too…and he has not forgotten…I don’t think he ever can…_ ”

The prince’s glare softened marginally. He could hear it - the undisguised ardor in the way Jeonghan had uttered Hong Jisoo’s name. There was a sadness in it too - a ringing from a past of absolute desolation. 

The Alpha was not speaking of just one person’s pain and suffering…

Soonyoung could feel it in his bones. 

“What happened between Oeseong Kwak and Namyang Hong?”

A howling, cold wind came to fill in the quiet that wedged itself between the two of men. 

Droplets of rain began to fall from the heavens, splattering one by one over the flowers of the garden, until finally, a torrent poured down as an army against the earth. 

As he waited for the Alpha to answer his query, the prince’s cheeks turned icy and flushed. 

Jeonghan looked out at the darkened sky and suspired with the heavy drag of a clouded breath. 

“Come with me.”

* * *

A tale that had not been written - that had been shrouded from the rest of the world - was about to be unbosomed.

“I am sure you have heard of the Baeghab Nation.”

They were in a quaint and dim room meant for private discussion. On the table between them was a pot of piping-hot brewed tea. 

The cup was warm in Soonyoung’s hands. There was tinge of sweetness infused in the golden liquid, and it tasted and smelled of a flower he could not recognize. 

His eyes drifted to the vambraces on Jeonghan’s forearms. They were made of the same material as Minghao’s, but instead of clematises, his were decorated in roses and stargazers - the same flowers blooming in Hong Jisoo’s secret garden. 

Soonyoung’s heart skipped a beat at the sight. 

It had to be love. 

There could be no other reason for the Alpha to display the Second Prince’s beloved flowers on his arms. 

The prince quickly lifted his gaze, realizing he had been staring too long, and answered. “Yes. The Baeghab Nation is one of the strongest nations to have risen from the Four Brothers of the High Kingdom.”

The Third Brother of Wind had descended from the heavens to stop the mortals from mindlessly feuding with one another. He united men of different bloodlines and founded the Baeghab Nation and the Clan of Naming Hong...or so did the legends say. As a reward, the gods created a wife for him out of the stargazers. Because she had been made from those specific flowers, the Third Brother’s wife became known for her purity and compassion and no other woman could ever rival her beauty. The children they birthed were just as benevolent and elegant as their mother. As generations followed, the people of the Baeghab Nation continued honoring the Third Brother and his Stargazer Wife by sharing their wealth and cultivating only kindness in their hearts. 

Jeonghan almost looked like a wraith beneath candlelight, but his eyes reflected the melancholy known only to living beings. “Did you know that the Baeghab Nation is gone?”

Soonyoung frowned. “What do you mean ‘gone’?”

He would have heard if a disaster had fallen upon a such a great nation, but none had ever reached the Aster Province.

“The entire royal family and all its branch families are dead,” the Alpha shared mournfully. “The Second Prince…Jisoo was the only survivor.”

The wind was howling viciously outside, rattling against the closed door as if demanding to hear their clandestine exchange.

“What happened to them?” the prince asked.

“They trusted the wrong people,” Jeonghan stated simply. He gazed blankly into his cup, thumb rubbing against the fragile porcelain. “In the end, every single person in their court had been a fool, and now…Namyang Hong can never return to its former glory. All that is left of their once great nation…is an Omega prince who will never know the joy of a child’s laughter.”

Soonyoung swallowed painfully at the Alpha’s insinuation. “Why are you telling me all this?”

“Because…” he looked up at the Omega. “…you need to know what Kwak Youngmin did to Namyang Hong…” 

Thunder and lightning tore into the grey-painted heavens, surging through the sky with startling flickers of light.

“…You need to know what he did to Jisoo…what he did to me…”

A forbearing zephyr slipped through the cracks beneath the door, and with a puff of its breath, the light of the candle between them flickered.

“…and what Bulgae had to do to save us…”

Soonyoung had to wonder about a person with such a strange name. It sounded much like an insulting moniker. To live being named after a dog would only bring much misery. Why would a mother name her child this way?

“Who is Bulgae?” 

Jeonghan managed a small smile. His face was still stony, but his words had stitches of amusement that could come from recalling a distance memory. “He was a servant of the Namyang Hong’s main household…and I was a soldier who swore to protect the Second Prince from all every enemy.”

* * *

_Five Years Ago…_

_“Bulgae!” Jeonghan cried out worriedly. "Bulgae, have you seen the Second Prince?!"_

_The scrawny page boy turned around and groaned at the sight of the Alpha running towards him. “Yah, hyung, did you lose him again? What kind of guard loses the one person he promised to protect forever? It’s like you’re not taking any of your vows seriously. Is this how you're going to treat your wedding vows as well- Ow!!!”_

_The Alpha guard roughly pinched his side, and the servant whined and doubled-over as he tried to escape his torturer. He grabbed hold of Jeonghan’s arm, desperately trying to stop the hand from inflicting torment upon his sensitive body, but he did have enough strength to best an Alpha’s physical power. “No, hyung, please! Nooo! I was wrong! I was wrong!”_

_“Aiya, this idiot! After Jisoo and I saved you from all those bullies years ago, this is how you repay me?!”_

_As the side of his body was pinched again and again, the servant kept wriggling until he fell to the wooden floor, eyes closed and lips begging for clemency. “I yield! Yoon Jeonghan is the best protector in the world! No one is more fit to watch over the Second Prince than he is! Have mercy on this insolent fool!”_

_Jeonghan finally relented and released his sore flesh._

_“If you see him, find me right away!”_

_Bulgae waved him off as if to shoo him. “If I see him before you do, then there’s a problem. Now go on! Go find the Second Prince and kiss his feet like the devoted protector you are!”_

_The Alpha made a dying noise in his throat, before running off to a different part of the palace._

_Once Jeonghan was nowhere to be seen and his scent had long disappeared, Bulgae knocked on the sliding doors to the kitchen._

_“Jisoo-hyung, it’s safe to come out now,” he said._

_The Second Prince silently emerged, peaking his head out to check before taking a seat next to his friend._

_The servant had moved down the steps to start fanning at a make-shift grill, cooking skewered rice cakes over the heat of burning coal. He was glad that the fumes had worked well enough to hide the Second Prince’s Omega scent from the Alpha guard searching for him._

_“Thank you, Bulgae,” Jisoo said appreciatively. “I’m sorry for dragging you into this.”_

_Bulgae brushed more sweet and spicy sauce over the teokkochi, before handing the hot skewer to the Omega prince. “You don’t have to apologize. You know very well that I would do practically anything for you, hyung. Now tell me why you’ve been avoiding Jeonghan-hyung. It’s so unlike you, and it’s making me worried.”_

_Jisoo twirled the stick of rice cakes over and over, pensively looking at the treats being cooked in front of him. “I’m getting married, Bulgae…”_

_The servant stilled. “M-Married?”_

_“Married.”_

_The word was spoken much softer the second time around, tainted with a bereavement that should not have been there in the first place._

_“But…but, hyung, you’re still so young…a-and the First Prince hasn’t even found a prospective wife yet! How can you be getting married already?”_

_“The offer came from the Oeseong Kwak Clan of Osmanthus City. My father’s council thought it would be good to marry me to the Kwak heir before any other family seizes the opportunity.”_

_“Baeghab Nation has all the alliances it needs. Why would Namyang Hong stoop so low as to accept the first marriage proposal they receive?”_

_Jisoo pressed his lips together and turned to his friend with nothing but worry on his face. “Our resources are dwindling, Bulgae. The gold mines are almost empty, and soon, we will owe the other nations a debt so large that not even ten generations can pay it off. My marriage to Oeseong Kwak is our last hope of preventing that from happening.”_

_“Your marriage will only save face for your foolish father and brothers. You don’t deserve to be trapped in a loveless union because of them. Hyung, please tell them no. Tell them you are enamored with Jeo-”_

_The Second Prince placed a hand over the servant’s mouth in alarm._

_“Shh! You must not let anyone hear, Bulgae! My father would have him beaten and castrated if he were to ever find out.”_

_He released Bulgae’s mouth, hopeful that the sensitive subject would be buried, but the servant could not be deterred. He immediately returned to speaking of his disdain. “But it’s not fair, hyung! You deserve to be happy. You can’t just give up…”_

_“I wish to be happy too, Bulgae.” Jisoo smiled sadly. “But the members of Namyang Hong have been far from compassionate and kind all these years. I must uphold the values of our beloved ancestors, even when no one else will…so that the people of the Baeghab Nation will know only peace and prosperity for as long as they live.”_

_But this was not right. How could they do this to their own precious Omega prince?_

_The Third Brother of Wind would be greatly displeased to see such things happening in the nation he’d built from his own blood, sweat, and tears._

_“Hyung, why must your heart be so pure? For once, why can’t you be selfish like the rest of your family? Please, please just this once, be selfish for your own sake,” Bulgae implored miserably._

_The Second Prince joined their hands together. It was an innocent gesture, meant only to calm the poor servant’s pain, but for the clan of Namyang Hong, sharing physical affection with one another was forbidden outside the bedroom of a consummated union._

_Jisoo, however, had insisted that the rule applied only to Alphas, Betas, and Omegas of all classes. Since Bulgae had not yet even presented, there was nothing wrong with them holding hands, and any person who has ever made a fuss upon seeing their intertwined fingers had no valid argument to prove that they were disobeying the clan’s directives._

_But…in the secrecy of his boudoir at night, it was indeed a rule Hong Jisoo repeatedly broke with the Alpha who owned his heart._

_“I have been selfish long enough, Bulgae. I fell in love when I shouldn’t have, and I’ve held on to that love for all these years, even though I knew that nothing but heartache would ever become of it.”_

_Despite the comfort he received from the soft hand wrapped around his own, Bulgae angrily bit into the remaining skewer of rice cakes in his other hand. He chewed petulantly, turning away from the Second Prince, and muttered loudly with a mouth full of food._

_“It is not wrong to love! If your father and brothers would care to think before acting, they would realize what idiocy it is to marry you off without your consent!”_

_“That is the way of the court, Bulgae. I am an Omega. They will never understand me…” Jisoo imparted sadly, but the despondency in his eyes did not last for long. The glittering in his orbs returned after he carefully observed Bulgae for a moment. “But I am glad I have you and Jeonghan. You have no idea how blessed I am to have you both as my dear friends.”_

_“No, you have no idea how lucky I am to have a hyung who’s so beautiful and nice.”_

_The Second Prince ruffled the servant’s hair fondly and even used his own sleeves to wipe off the sauce left on Bulgae’s lips._

_“Hyung, stop! I’m not a baby anymore!” Bulgae protested, leaning away from Jisoo. “And stop dirtying your robes! I have to clean those later! Do you want me to be scrubbing the stains out all night long?”_

_The Omega chuckled. “Ah, mianhe! Of course I don’t want our Bulgae to be working instead of sleeping. How will you become a mighty Alpha someday if you don’t grow bigger?”_

_“Ugh, I don’t want to be an Alpha.” The servant pretended to gag and made retching noises to further prove his disgust. “Alphas are all smelly and obnoxious. They’re all so mean to Jisoo-hyung too!”_

_More chuckles escaped from the Omega's lips. “But Jeonghan is not smelly and obnoxious, and he’s definitely not mean to me.”_

_“I mean, he’s okay but…Jisoo-hyung is so much better! I wouldn’t mind becoming an Omega like you.”_

_Jisoo smiled warmly. “But hyung wishes for you to become an Alpha. That way, Bulgae can fall in love and marry whoever he wants to. Then our children can all play together and grow up to become as close as we are…”_

_All the while, Jeonghan had been listening from the hidden shelter of a pavilion. He was far enough that they couldn’t smell him, but close enough that he could hear every word of their conversation._

_He realized, with tears stinging his eyes, that their mirthful years had finally come to a close._

_It was time for them to grow up and let go of selfishness._

_It was time for them to accept the harsh realities of the world they lived in._

_They were no longer children anymore. Jisoo becoming engaged had marked the end of their youth, because even though neither Bulgae nor Jeonghan were marrying, they were also a part of the Second Prince’s life._

_All three of them would soon be expected to act like the adults they were too young to be._

_It was funny enough that the Omega prince had ended up with Jeonghan and Bulgae as his closest companions. Their little trio had been wrong from the start. A servant, a soldier, and a prince were never meant to create such tight bonds together, and their peculiar fellowship should have served as a clue to the detestable future that fate had in store for them._

_Because what followed after had been a monstrous nightmare that would plague them for the rest of their lives…_

* * *

_Jisoo was stolen away from his deep slumber by two hands fervidly shaking his body._

_“Hyung! Hyung, you need to wake up!”_

_He opened his eyes to the glow of a lantern next to Bulgae’s face. The prince straightened up in his bed, eyes still drooping with tiredness._

_“Bulgae...what’s wrong?” Jisoo asked patiently, gently caressing the younger boy’s hair._

_“H-Hyung, there was a commotion just now…I think…I t-think Jeonghan-hyung is in trouble… The other guards, they dragged him out to the courtyard and-”_

_The prince jumped out of bed and started running before he could even register what his body was doing._

_All he needed to hear was his lover’s name for his heart to wreak havoc in his chest._

_Only the worst of thoughts were occupying his mind. Just hours ago, they had been together in his room, stealing kisses beneath the light of a single candle._

_Had someone seen them?_

_Had they ran straight to the Alpha King and reported what they saw?_

_His bare feet sprinted against the cold ground, tiny stones cutting into the soft soles, but Jisoo didn’t care because, at that moment, nothing hurt more than the trepidation driving into his chest._

_He found Jeonghan in the throne room, surrounded by the other guards - bleeding and battered on his knees. His face was swollen and almost unrecognizable from the heavy beating he’d been subjected to. His arms were twisted behind his back, and his hands were bound so tightly that his fingers were turning blue._

_The prince’s eyes refused to look forward past his lover. He knew exactly who it was sitting in front of them and watching him in disgust._

_Jisoo could find no one else at fault but himself. This had been his doing. He’d indulged himself in his protector’s attention for so long. They were bound to get caught one day, but he couldn’t help himself. He couldn’t stop his insufferable love and longing no matter how hard he tried to suppress his emotions._

_Still, Jeonghan smiled at him, as if the prince had done no wrong._

_“Jisoo…your hair looks horrible,” the Alpha mumbled, and in return, the captain in charge delivered another blow to Jeonghan’s face._

_“You disrespectful mongrel! How dare you speak the Second Prince’s name after what you did!”_

_“No! Stop! Please!” He fell to his own knees and shielded Jeonghan with his own body. “He didn’t do anything wrong! Why are you doing this to him?!”_

_“Get off of that lecherous swine, Jisoo!” the Alpha King of Namyang Hong commanded._

_The bones in his body ached to follow his father’s order, but the Second Prince gritted his teeth and stayed where he was. Even as the blinding pain overcame his senses, Jisoo remained defiant, and he wasn’t afraid to show it in front of his father’s men._

_“Get up, you ungrateful child!!!”_

_Only when Jeonghan shouldered his stomach did Jisoo finally let go. He stumbled back, face painted in shock, as his protector was once again beaten by the other soldiers._

_“Stop! Stop!” he cried out._

_“Keep your mouth shut, Jisoo! You’ve already let this ingrate take advantage of you! What more will you let him take?!”_

_“What are you talking about? Jeonghan would never!”_

_“The offender has confessed to his criminal act,” the captain proclaimed. “He has been sentenced to death for attacking the Second Prince of Namyang Hong.”_

_Jisoo glared at the captain, whose face had been more than happy at the sight of Jeonghan’s blood splattering against the floor. “I have not been attacked by anyone!”_

_“A witness can confirm seeing Yoon Jeonghan sneak into your room hours ago-”_

_“No!”_

_“-they said he forcefully placed his hands upon you-”_

_“That’s not true!”_

_“-and attempted to sodomize you.”_

_The Second Prince stood up and charged at the captain. His hand splayed out as he slapped the unrighteous captain in the face with all his might. “Don’t you dare spew out any more lies!”_

_The entire room was in shock. Never before had the gentle prince’s voice reached those decibels. The Alpha king was already brimming with outrage, and seeing his Omega son act out like this only incited his wrath to all new heights._

_“Hong Jisoo, if you continue to defend that piece of filth, I will have you disowned and stripped of everything you have!”_

_“It’s true…” were the treacherous words that came from Jeonghan’s own blood-filled mouth. “I was jealous of the Second Prince’s future husband… I’ve been secretly in love with His Highness all these years…so I tried to take his virtue all for myself…”_

_The captain spit at the wounded Alpha. “The offender is guilty, and he will pay for his sins. You no longer need to fear him, Your Highness.”_

_No one was ever listening to Jisoo. As an Omega living in an Alpha world, only those atop the hierarchy spoke words others willingly heard._

_He glared at the captain of the guard, then at his own father, and finally, the prince scowled at his own lover. Did Jeonghan really think Jisoo would not fight the world for him?_

_The Omega would make them all listen this time._

_“The only thing I fear is the horrible injustice in this room…” he muttered under a piqued breath._

_“If you say he is guilty, then I am equally as guilty for letting him do those filthy things to me,” the prince began his lie, turning to look up into the king’s angry eyes. “If you are to kill him, then kill us both, because there are two adulterous sinners before you.”_

_His lover had a mind as sharp as Jisoo’s, and Jeonghan immediately realized what he was trying to do before anyone else could._

_“The Second Prince is not of sound mind,” the beaten Alpha hurriedly spoke. “He offered no consent. I am the only one to blame!”_

_“I willingly let him touch every part of me, and I enjoyed every moment of it!”_

_Of course, his protector had never dared to claim him. Jeonghan had always been steadfast about protecting Jisoo’s virtue until his wedding night. But his father was pushing him to extreme measures, and the prince was not going to back down no matter what._

_“Jisoo, be quiet!” the Alpha King roared._

_“In fact, I have been so sullied that it would be too much of a disgrace to present me to Oeseong Kwak! How will you ever tell Kwak Youngmin that his betrothed had been bedded by another Alpha before he could?!”_

_“That’s enough, Hong Jisoo! Have you gone mad?!”_

_“I only know the pleasure of sodomy. Jeonghan did not need force. I begged him to destroy my body! Your middle son is a promiscuous whore, Father!” the prince shouted, face red from all the bellowing and all the vexation pouring from his mouth. “I should be executed with the offender for all the shame I’ve brought to this family!”_

_Jeonghan bowed to the king even lower. “Your Majesty! I beseech you! The Second Prince is this nation’s greatest treasure! He is too precious to be killed. Please spare him, and let me take all the blame! I am the sinner, not him! He would never bring you any shame!”_

_“Silence!” Jisoo’s father was purple with all the fury brewing beneath his skin. “I have lost enough sleep over this foolishness!”_

_The king walked down the steps from his throne, and he stared down at his second son with nothing but scorching vexation. “There has been no crime against the Second Prince… His virtue remains intact. Yoon Jeonghan will not be executed.”_

_Finally, Jisoo’s pounding heart met relief._

_The king had conceded. They could not kill Jeonghan, because Jisoo made sure they would have to kill him as well if they did. His role in the salvation of their nation was far too important._

_“Only now do you hear my words…” the prince whispered as he leered back at the Alpha._

_His father ordered for Jeonghan to be thrown into the dungeons, where he would be imprisoned for the rest of his life. He also commanded that no one in the room would ever speak of this commotion to anyone, especially to those tied to the Oeseong Kwak Clan._

_That was all Jisoo could ask for. As long as Jeonghan was alive, the prince could keep living his horrid life under the tyranny of Alphas._

_By the following new moon, the Oeseong Kwak Clan’s men had come to escort him to Osmanthus City._

_Jisoo was not permitted to say good bye to Jeonghan, but Bulgae managed to slip into the dungeons thanks to the guards’ negligence. With him, he brought Jeonghan food, water, and Jisoo’s final parting words._

_“He will love you forever, hyung. There can be no other person in his heart," the page boy said, holding back his tears and grasping Jeonghan's hand through the bars that separated them. “And he is sorry for everything that’s happened. He can never forgive himself, and not a day will pass without him thinking of you.”_

_Neither of them knew if they would ever see each other again._

_It hurt to part like this, but the servant knew that his pain could not compare to the pain in his friends' hearts._

_“Take care of him, Bulgae,” Jeonghan implored forlornly. “Swear to me that you will always protect him...no matter what.”_

_“I swear, hyung,” Bulgae avowed. He could no longer able to hold the tears from blurring his vision, but he would not let their last few moments go to waste. “Until my last breath, I will never leave his side.”_

_The next day, an entourage chosen by Kwak Youngmin himself carried the Second Prince of Namyang Hong away in a sedan. Jisoo - dressed in his red marital robes - left his home with Bulgae and the rest of his servants._

_It was too painful for Jeonghan to imagine the prince in his wedding attire, but he was sure that Jisoo looked even lovelier draped in red and gold._

_In the cold of his lonely cell, the Alpha imagined himself to be a king with enough riches to buy entire lands and enough prestige to be worthy of marrying Hong Jisoo. Maybe in another life, it would be possible._

_He wished the story had ended this way instead - with him rotting away in isolation, knowing Jisoo would be safe and happy and one day, surrounded by the cutesy children he always wanted to have._

_Jeonghan would have wholeheartedly accepted that in exchange for what was soon to happen._

_But seldom do things happen as people hope for._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the love you guys have been sending me! Thank you to every person who gave this fic a chance and is sticking with me through the chapters. Share your thoughts with me! Tell me your theories! I wanna know what goes through your minds! 
> 
> This chapter was quite heavy, and the next one will be even heavier. But at least now you guys know who Bulgae is. I promise this all has a strong connection to the SoonGyu part of this story. What takes place next is imperative to the storyline, and it will kind of answer some questions depending on how you read the story. You guys have sharp eyes, and I love it!!! I guess it's only now a matter of why is this happening, why did this person do that, and who is really who. Sorry I'm being vague. I just wanna make this a satisfying rollercoaster ride, so Imma just go back to writing XDDD 
> 
> Kudos and comments keep me going! <33333333


	5. Chapter 5

_Between the time when flowers bloom and scatter, scars heal and sprouts emerge. We live for this moment, the first and last. That's why I won't take you for granted, because you love somebody like me..._

_-Seventeen, Fallin' Flower (2020)_

_After many days of travel, Jisoo and Bulgae arrived at the gates of Osmanthus City. Black flags with white-petal crests waved freely in the wind. The very same insignia had been embroidered into his red wedding robes. The Omega prince had more than enough nights to weep over them in his lonesome confinement. Already, he missed the_ _Baeghab Nation's flowers and the people who were dear to him._

_When his escorts had finally announced their advent, Jisoo could only feel both relief and dread. Relief - because finally, he could speak to his friend again. The Alphas had not allowed them to communicate despite the prince's incessant protests. The dread, however, had managed to outweigh his relief, as the unsettling emotion had a vicious hold on his throat. His inevitable meeting with the one he would soon call 'husband' was fast approaching._

_But Jisoo told himself that he would stay strong. This was for his nation, for his loved ones he left back home. If anything, this was to make sure Jeonghan would be kept alive._

_His mental fortitude soon came crumbling down._

_Because instead of the warm welcome they had expected, the guards had roughly thrown the Second Prince out of the sedan and chained him around the neck and hands without explanation._

_Each of his servants, both men and women, were beaten before him, and all the Omega could do was scream and beg for the Alphas to stop._

_They all entered the city tethered together in a line, with the Second Prince of Namyang Hong on display at the very front of the procession. The commoners were throwing things at them and calling the citizens of Baeghab horrible names as they walked barefoot to the palace._

_Bulgae was weeping behind his beloved hyung, shielding the prince as best as he could in his bound state from the people who tried to land hits on Jisoo’s face._

_There was so much hate, so much anger._

_What had they done wrong?_

_What had they walked into?_

_They did not understand where all the hatred was coming from and why they were being treated like criminals instead of a marital entourage._

_Most importantly, did the Baeghab Nation know?_

_Did they know what they've allowed to happen to their precious Omega prince?_

“The bastard had planned it from the start,” Jeonghan said, seething as his grip on his teacup tightened. “Kwak Youngmin and his disgusting clan should have never been trusted. They’d been planning the Baeghab Nation’s downfall for generations, and they’d finally gathered enough resources to begin their plan.” 

“But what did they have against Namyang Hong?” Soonyoung asked.

“Jisoo’s great grandfather had a bastard son with a concubine, but he would not recognize the child as his own. He kicked the mother and her baby out of the palace. The concubine had to find work as a prostitute, but she ended up dying on the streets and leaving her child by himself at the age of five.”

The Omega pursed his lips, pitying the orphaned boy and his wronged mother. “Did he become the founder of Oeseong Kwak?”

Jeonghan nodded. “He vowed to avenge his mother and destroy the clan that had ruined them both. So for generations, Oeseong Kwak amassed fertile soil and untouched lands to become richer than Baeghab. They sabotaged the Namyang Hong gold mines and rice fields. They brutalized the graziers and slaughtered the livestock so they could no longer work and feed the nation. Little by little, Oeseong Kwak pushed Baeghab further into debt, and Namyang Hong was too proud to realize that another clan was trying to take them down.”

“And Namyang Hong had led the Second Prince straight into the lion’s den…” The Kwon prince felt his heart sink and his limbs go cold and numb. 

That was the kind of family he had almost married into. 

“Yes…and you know what Oeseong Kwak did to Jisoo?” 

“Those despicable pieces of shit commanded him to do...to..." Jeonghan choked on a sob, but he did not fragment into a weeping mess. He winced and clenched his jaw as he held back unspoken words of pain. This part of the story had always been the most difficult for him to ingeminate. It was much too horrendous and appalling.

Only when he'd rubbed at his eyes and regained composure did he continue the story. "They treated him like a fucking animal…they tormented him so much that it broke his mind…and what they had done to his body… it was inhumane. Jisoo…he never deserved any of it! How could he ever deserve it? All he ever wanted was to have a family of his own, and Oeseong Kwak took that away from him…”

As an Omega, he understood. Even when Jeonghan couldn’t say the words, Soonyoung knew, and he felt sick to his stomach. 

“And now, Namyang Hong will die out with Jisoo...”

That was it.

Hong Jisoo was their last descendant, and after him, the Third Brother of the Wind will no longer have blood on earth. His nation, his story, and his legend would be forgotten like it never happened.

The Omega bowed his head in sorrow and regret.

He should have kept his mouth shut. He should have never said anything to the Second Prince. 

“But none of that matters to me," Jeonghan spoke gingerly. "All I care about is for Jisoo to become happy once again and that he lives to a ripe old age. He has suffered enough for a hundred life times. He only deserves peace and unending joy. Whatever it takes, I will do everything in my power to make sure he will never suffer again. That is my only wish in life. If he had not survived…if it had not been for Bulgae, I would have killed myself a long time ago.”

* * *

_“Hyung...Kwak Youngmin has left with his men…” Bulgae weakly whispered to the Second Prince shackled to his bed._

_The servant had worn-out bandages wrapped around most of his body, covering up ugly burns and scars from the torture the Alphas have been inflicting upon him for weeks. “I’ve...found a way out, hyung. I promise those stupid guards won’t catch us…”_

_There were also bandages over his left eye and half his face, but he could still see clearly through his right side._

_Bulgae had always been good at sneaking around the Baeghab's palace ever since he was young. Though now he was not as small, the servant was still wafer-thin and evasive enough not to attract attention._

_It had taken him much effort and a regular amount of beatings, but his sharp eyes and his wits had allowed him to find an escape._

_But Jisoo did not seem to hear his friend's voice. The prince simply stared up at the ceiling of his dark cell, orbs hollow and without light - unblinking and incognizant._

_He had been reduced into a shell, a soulless doll who would not utter a single word._

_With extreme vigilance, Bulgae picked at the locks around the prince’s emaciated wrists and ankles. Slowly and carefully, he pulled the Second Prince up into a sitting position. “Hyung…please say something…please…”_

_Hot tears streamed down his cheeks, and blood seeped through the bandages over the left side of his face._

_“Hyung, please...please...you can’t die here…not here... We...we need to get back to Baeghab. I won’t let you die here…”_

_After Kwak Youngmin's send off, the Alpha guards had snuck liquor from the city to their posts. Thinking he feared them too much to do anything - a common mistake arrogant Alphas loved to make, they had forced Bulgae to serve them wine and snacks and travel back and forth between the stations so they would not have to. Little did they know, the servant had slipped herbs into their drinks - ones that consumed their energies and forced them into deep slumber._

_By midnight, all the guards had passed out at their posts and could not be waken._

_With the prince lying in a wooden cart, Bulgae quietly pushed him out the back gates of Osmanthus City, eluding the civilians and the slaves of Oeseong Kwak._

_The other servants from Namyang Hong had already perished from their wounds, and so it was only Bulgae and the Second Prince who could make their getaway. The page boy had deep contrition for the bodies of his companions left behind, and all he could do was promise to build a cenotaph for them someday and ask for their forgiveness._

_Neither of him nor Jisoo had eaten in days, but Bulgae pushed the prince in the cart for miles and miles on foot. They survived on river water and roots, and they had to sleep without a fire at night to avoid getting caught._

_When their only vehicle had given out, he had to lift Jisoo and carry him on his back as he trudged through dense forests and ran from wild animals._

_For many moments, Bulgae thought they would both die in the wilderness. He had lost hope innumerable times and prayed to the gods for salvation._

_He begged ceaselessly for Jisoo to help him, to say something to him so he could find the strength to continue this journey, but the prince was as good as dead._

_But whenever Bulgae's body drew close to surrender...whenever his eyes came close to a permanent drowse, memories of his hyung's once cheerful face would flood his mind and heart with longing._

_In these visions, Jisoo would smile at him warmly and whisper to him how much he loved both him and Jeonghan._

_He wanted the Second Prince to smile at him like that again and hold his hand like Jisoo always did._

_How could he ever give up on his hyung?_

_The Omega prince had cared for him all these years. It was Bulgae's turn now to take care of him._

_And so, despite his deliriously tired and starving state, the servant managed to get back on his feet again and again. Until finally, on just will power alone, he had carried the prince all the way back to the Baeghab Nation…_

_But there had been no more home for either of them to return to._

_The entire nation had been seized by Oeseong Kwak, and the bodies of the royal family were hanging from nooses at the gates._

_How had this happened? How had Namyang Hong been defeated so quickly?_

_Bulge covered his gaping mouth with a hand, suppressing every urge to scream as he stared at his formers masters in shock._

_Even the common folk had not been spared._

_Men, women, and children of all ages littered the city, and the enemy had not bothered to gather their corpses._

_What about Jeonghan?_

_What happened to Jeonghan?_

_He had to know. He had to see for himself or regret leaving a friend who may still be alive in enemy hands._

_So Bulgae hid the catatonic prince in the shelter of a hollow tree trunk and covered him in mud, so his scent would not permeate the forest and beckon any Alpha soldiers nearby. He promised that he would return no matter what happens._

_He knew the secrets of the palace's every crevice better than Oeseong Kwak did, and so he knew with confidence that they would not ever catch him._

_In the dead of the night, the servant snuck into the prince's former home with cautious and practiced steps. The only survivors left, mostly the wounded Alpha and Beta guards, were being flayed and castrated out in the open palace grounds. Bulgae did not even want to think about what was happening to the Omegas servants if there were any still alive._

_Oeseong Kwak was celebrating their victory with heavy drinks and barbaric bloodshed, while the bodies of a once mighty nation decayed where they were slaughtered._

_Bulgae could only pray that his dear friend was still alive in the dungeons._

_After Kwak Youngmin and his men deserted the grounds and retired to their temporary quarters, the guards began their rounds. Bulgae circumvented their stations like a ghost and used a secret passage to the underground prison._

_There, he found the Second Prince’s former protector - emaciated and unkept, barely breathing as the he slowly succumbed to death._

_The servant desperately opened the cage with a key he’d collected from one of the dead guards - who had been dead for a while now - and collapsed next to Jeonghan’s body._

_Bulgae whimpered from the weariness he felt, from torn skin beneath his feet, and from the rawness of his throat and his hands. He was still bleeding in places that were supposed to have healed long ago, and his broken bones and strained muscles were screaming at him to end it all. His body had been pushed beyond the limit like never before, and now he could not get up anymore._

_Still, Bulgae couldn’t give up like this. Jisoo was still waiting for him, and he couldn't leave the Omega all by himself for too long._

_“H-Hyung…hyung, wake up,” he implored the Alpha. He couldn’t even cry anymore because there was barely any water left in his system. “Jeong…Jeonghan-hyung…hyung…please, Jisoo-hyung…needs you…”_

_The sound of Jisoo’s name had caused Jeonghan’s eyes to flutter to open, and he slowly turned to Bulgae in despair. “Bul...gae..."_

_A crack of a smile lifted at his lips, but that was all he could afford for this pitiful reunion. "Hyung...th-thank goodness..."_

_"Is that...really...you?"_

_He wanted to cry in happiness. He wanted to cry in sadness. He just wanted to cry and cry and hug both his friends and never let go. "Yes...I'm here, hyung...Jisoo-hyung is...waiting for you..."_

_The Alpha sniffled and shakily asked in disbelief, "Jisoo…is…here?”_

_“Y-Yes, hyung...we need to get back to him…”_

_Jeonghan pushed himself up with vicious trembling, and his skeletal body swayed and caught the bars of his prison cell to remain upright._

_“Where…is Jisoo?”_

_“In the forest, hyung…where the stargazers glow at night…”_

_The Alpha knew that specific place in the woods outside the city. Jisoo loved going there for the glowing flowers and a certain tree he could sleep in whenever he was upset with his family._

_With renewed vigor, Jeonghan pulled the servant up to his own feet. It took them both some time to stand up completely on their own again, but being in one another's presence provided the other much needed strength and spirit. “Bulgae, let’s go…”_

_Bulgae nodded back with equal tenacity, forgetting again about his exhaustion and his deteriorating body._

_As stealthily as they could, the two slipped out of the palace through the same secret passages Bulgae had used to enter. It was harder for Jeonghan to squeeze through certain areas, but after scraping the side of his face and breaking his collarbone, the two successfully fled and ran towards their freedom._

_It was so much easier to breathe outside, beneath the darkness and protection of a forest they knew well, and once they reached the Second Prince, the three friends were finally reunited once more._

_“What’s wrong with him?” Jeonghan asked, trying to shake his lover out of his blank and silent expression._

_“Hyung…hyung, I'm so sorry I...” Bulgae’s voice cracked. “The Oeseong Kwak Clan…they…”_

_The Alpha's mind had not dulled in his prison. “Stop! No, please! I cannot think about that now. We have to get away from this place…”_

_“Where will we go, hyung?”_

_The question fell heavy on his shoulders. Their lives were in his hands now. As the Alpha, it was his responsibility to find them a safe haven._

_And only one place came to mind._

_“We go back to my home...to the Moon Shadow Village.”_

_Bulgae bit his lip. “But there is nothing left of your village, hyung.”_

_The place was practically a desert now. Nothing could grow out of the soil, and life_ _could not be sustained in such a place._

_And that was what made it the perfect hiding spot._

_“Exactly. No one would bother looking there.”_

_They covered themselves in mire to further mask their scents and began their voyage to the forgotten land of blue roses._

_Jeonghan possessed just enough strength to carry Jisoo on his back. Bulgae, on the other hand, had to limp and lean on a stick to aid him in walking. The three friends wound through the vegetation, taking the darkest routes and the quietest steps._

_But just minutes into their trekking, Bulgae accidentally stepped into a bear trap, and the metal contraption snagged his ankle in jaws that ripped through flesh. He cried out in pain, and blood from his injured limb dripped onto the ground._

_The Alpha struggled to pry the jaws open, but his muscles had long atrophied, and he could not use his left arm properly after he'd broken his collarbone. His mind, however, could thankfully still be depended on._

_They could hear the Oeseong Kwak soldiers running towards them, and so Jeonghan dug into the dirt until he could find the bear trap’s buried metal chain and pull it out of the loosened ground._

_He could not lift Bulgae, but he did what he could to help the servant move as swiftly as possible._

_But their enemies were getting closer and closer._

_They reached a stream, and Bulgae's debilitated body collapsed right into it._

_“Bulgae, get up! Come on!” Jeonghan barked at him, nudging at the servant with his body and trying to force him out of the flowing water._

_Knowing that not all of them would survive the night, Bulgae winced in pain and made his choice._

_“Hyung…you need to go...”_

_Jeonghan readjusts the Second Prince on his back, before bending down to drag Bulgae onto the bank. “Come on, I know it hurts, but we need to go! We can’t let them take Jisoo!”_

_The Alpha soldiers were practically behind them now. If Jeonghan and Jisoo did not leave this second, they would all be dead by morning._

_And Bulgae could not let his precious friends die._

_The servant kept his weeps from leaving his lips, and he stubbornly pushed the Alpha away from him. “Jeonghan-hyung, keep walking. You need to keep walking. Even after you’ve grown tired and your body is about to collapse, you have to keep going.”_

_Jeonghan was appalled. “What about you?! We can’t leave you here!”_

_“Don’t worry about me,” Bulgae lied - the last lie he would ever tell. “I escaped from them once, and I can escape from them again. I will find you both. We will all be together again someday.”_

_“You can’t expect me to- Yah, Bulgae! You’re my friend! I can’t leave you behind!”_

_“There they are!” an Alpha soldier bellowed, and the sound of their pounding boots drew dangerously near._

_The servant pushed at Jeonghan again, harder this time and with more urgency. “Go, hyung! You need to go!”_

* * *

The rain and howling winds outside had finally stopped, but the tears in Soonyoung’s eyes would not.

His heart was submerged beneath a pool of rippling emotions at the sad story he’d just heard. The three friends had not deserved the horrible things that happened to them, and the Kwon prince wished he could turn back time and do something to save them from so much suffering.

They had all been so young. How could the Oeseong Kwak Clan do such things to them? How could they show no mercy?

“W-What became of your dear friend?” his voice trembled as he wiped at his wet and puffy face. “Did he find you both again? Did Bulgae make it?”

Jeonghan parted his lips to answer, but before he could speak, the door was swung ajar with excessive force. He looked up to see who had intruded upon them, and recognition brightened the gloom in his face.

The prince turned to look as well, and the beguiling eyes of a certain cook met his own. 

Soonyoung hurriedly wiped away the rest of his tears. “Mingyu-ssi? What are you doing here?”

If he had paused for a moment before turning his head, Soonyoung would have seen the mischief that had glimmered in Jeonghan’s orbs and faint smirk that graced his lips at the sight of the imposing Alpha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last one before the weekend! I'm gonna take a tiny break just to rejuvenate. Also to revisit the storyline and start readjusting parts. I didn't think it was going to be this plot-heavy, but still this is minuscule compared to the behemoth that is COE. That fic is just crazy. But anyway, hope you guys enjoyed the first five chapters so far! The next part should be up by next week. SoonGyu will be moving along a bit quicker from this point on, and we're slowly gonna come to that oh-so-sentive topic regarding Omegas which, I think, you guys are all excited for. That's right, kids. WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN TO SOONYOUNG WHEN HE GOES INTO HEAT?????? DUN DUN DUN.
> 
> Thank you for reading! Kudos, comments, subscriptions, or even shout outs on Twitter are all highly appreciated <3


	6. Chapter 6

_Between the time when flowers bloom and scatter, scars heal and sprouts emerge. We live for this moment, the first and last. That's why I won't take you for granted, because you love somebody like me..._

_-Seventeen, Fallin' Flower (2020)_

“I really appreciate you for escorting me back, Mingyu-ssi,” Soonyoung stated, although uneasily. Not because an Alpha was taking him back to his room, but because for some reason, his companion was waving around a rolled up bundle of sage as they walked. 

The herbaceous odor was incredibly overpowering and near-offensive. In fact, the sage was so potent that the prince could not even smell himself anymore.

“Uhm…Mingyu-ssi, what are you doing?”

“I am getting rid of the smell,” the cook responded coolly, although the annoyed expression on his face was quite deep.

Soonyoung immediately felt embarrassed and shied away from the Alpha. “Oh…I’m so sorry. Is my scent bothering you? Do I smell that awful?”

Mingyu paused, distraught and alarmed. “N-No! Of course not, Wangja-nim! It’s Jeonghan-hyung’s scent…it stuck to your clothes…”

The Omega hadn’t even noticed that the Alpha guard’s aroma had clung to his clothes. Being in the small room with Jeonghan for so long probably caused the Alpha’s rosy scent to settle on the fabric.

Yet again, Mingyu was looking out for him. Soonyoung would have been labeled a whore if the residents of the palace had caught even the slightest whiff of an Alpha’s scent on his robes.

“Thank you, Mingyu-ssi,” the prince said, beaming gratefully at the tall cook. “That was very thoughtful of you…”

The Alpha turned away, face obviously red, and continued waving around the sage as they slowly approached the prince’s quarters.

The smile on his lips fell. Was Mingyu still mad at him?

He had to make things right before they parted, because who knew when he would see the cook again. The Alpha wasn't always in the kitchen for him to badger, and he wasn't sure where Mingyu went to take care of his other duties.

“Mingyu-ssi…please don’t avoid me anymore,” Soonyoung implored gently. “I promise I won’t ever cause you trouble again. I am still deeply remorseful for what happened to you last time.”

They reached his room, but the Kwon prince refused to go inside without first conveying his apologies. 

“Wangja-nim…you do not have to be sorry for anything…” Mingyu stated, seemingly nervous and unwilling to make eye contact with the Omega. His gaze was cast down, making him appear smaller than he actually was. 

Soonyoung frowned. “But you got hurt because of me. I can’t accept that, and you shouldn’t either. You deserve respect and justice as much as anyone in this place. So please, tell me what I can do to alleviate the pain in your heart.”

“Wangja-nim, please don’t ask me for such things…”

“Mingyu-ssi, I just want to earn your forgiveness. Would you like me to take over your kitchen duties for the day? Maybe even for the whole week? I may not be a very good cook, but if Minghao can get away with boiled water and rice then I certainly can too!”

The Alpha timidly shook his head and breathed in deep. “There is no need for that, Wangja-nim…but…but there is one…thing…”

He watched Mingyu bite down on his lower lip, obviously unsure of whether he should say what he wanted to. 

“Please tell me, Mingyu-ssi. I will do my best to fulfill your wishes.”

“ _…let me wash your feet…_ ” the cook whispered.

The Kwon Omega blinked rapidly, incredulous. Had he heard it wrong? 

Did the Alpha actually say what Soonyoung thought he’d spoken?

“I’m sorry… Could you please repeat that?”

Mingyu met his gaze with just the slightest bit intrepidness. “Wangja-nim, please let me wash your feet.”

* * *

In all the years of his life, Soonyoung had never encountered someone with a request to wash his feet. 

It sounded innocent enough, but the act of another person - who was not by any means assigned to help him clean his body - washing his feet seemed intimate in a way. He had to internally debate with himself on whether or not it would be promiscuous to reveal the skin below his knees to an Alpha. Undressing in front of Seungkwan had been different. They were both Omegas, and the prince was used to Omegas seeing the flesh below his shoulders.

Why would Mingyu even ask to do such a thing?

Why would an Alpha ever want to wash an Omega’s feet?

Was he trying to test Soonyoung? To see if he was salacious or easy to bed?

To see if he was starving for an Alpha’s touch?

The prince desperately hoped not.

It would be awful to learn that this was how the other people in the palace viewed him. 

No matter how far down the ranks Mingyu was, the cook was still an _Alpha_ in enemy territory. Soonyoung had to remember that…

But the thought appeared to have slipped his mind and only decided to return after Mingyu finished rolling up Soonyoung’s inner trousers above his knees and he’d already submerged his feet in a bucket of warm water. 

His mother would probably cry if he ever returned home and reiterated this strange story to her someday.

His father would be absolutely disgusted.

So the Omega prince couldn’t help but wonder whether the King of Gwangsan Kim would be revolted as well if he were to ever find out that another Alpha had touched his ankles. 

Would he then be allowed to go home?

Soonyoung doubted it. 

The Alpha would probably have him and Mingyu executed on the spot for unlawful fornication. 

He snapped out of his musings and watched as the cook descended to his knees on the floor of the room’s wash area, sponge and soap ready by his side.

Soonyoung never thought an Alpha’s touch could be so delicate. Despite how large Mingyu’s hands were, they felt feather-light as he gently grasped and lathered Soonyoung’s lower limbs with suds. 

The cook repeatedly collected water with the sponge and squeezed the liquid over the prince’s exposed legs. He meticulously soaped in between every toe, over the soles, and along the arches of Soonyoung’s feet, alternating between the left and the right. Mingyu would know exactly when his legs started feeling the slightest bit cold and would place them back into the water to warm his skin in languid heat once more. 

All the while, the cook appeared to be in absolute tranquility - as if every stroke and every knead was actually relieving his soul and mind of all his stresses. 

To Soonyoung, it felt strange.

Was Mingyu truly doing this out of his own will?

Or was he washing Soonyoung’s feet because this was what he usually did for the Alpha King? Maybe even for all the concubines? And by doing this, he was avoiding punishment?

The Omega needed to know why, and he needed Mingyu to know that it was not necessary for him to do this if the prince's assumptions were true.

“Mingyu-ssi, may I ask you a question?”

The cook moved the bucket of soiled water away and laid Soonyoung’s feet on a layer of thick rags to dry. “…what do you wish to know, Wangja-nim?”

“Why did you request this, of all things? Why did you want to wash my feet?”

For a few moments, Mingyu would not say anything. But when he finally did, Soonyoung felt fiery heat viciously devour his cheeks. 

“Because you deserve to be treated like a prince…”

“B-But I am not a prince of this kingdom! Mingyu-ssi, I am not your master here. I am a regular person just like you. No, actually…I am beneath you.” Soonyoung’s eyes lowered, despondence pervading his brown orbs. “I am nothing but a pillaged object in this place. I know that I will eventually be expected to perform…carnal deeds for the king…or his Alpha men. That is the only value I have right now, and I don’t even know if I will survive long enough to gain freedom someday.”

“Did…someone say that to you?” the cook asked with a pained look on his face.

The prince shook his head. “No one needed to. It was obvious enough that no one had to say anything. We both know why I was taken to this place. Kings don’t have many uses for captured Omegas now do they? Only my body has value here. The rest of me...my mind, my heart, my soul... They are all worthless here.”

“ _Worthless…_ ” The word came out of the Alpha’s mouth almost like a bitter hiss. “…is that truly what you perceive yourself to be?”

The Kwon prince sighed. “I wish it weren’t so, but Mingyu-ssi, this is where fate has led me. Be glad that you were not born an Omega. As an Alpha, you still have a chance to move up the ranks. You can marry with the King’s consent. You can have children with someone you love dearly. I wish I could have been just as privileged, but…but that is not the life I was meant to have. I am not meant to be happy…maybe I am not even meant to be loved…”

“Wangja-nim…” Mingyu uttered sadly. “I must ask you to stop…”

_Stop talking._

_Stop speaking nonsense, you stupid Omega._

Soonyoung laughed bitterly, reminded of words from long ago he’d tried so hard to forget. “I apologize for talking too much. You must think I am a babbler now.”

Alphas despised talkative Omegas - that was one of the most important lessons he always had to remember. 

But in all honesty, it felt good to get so much off his chest. He just hoped that the cook would not dislike him even more because of it. Mingyu did not act like a typical Alpha, but the prince could not ever be a hundred percent certain of what was going through his head.

Their conversation stalled. For the rest of the time, neither of them uttered anymore sentiments, and it bothered Soonyoung that the cook looked incredibly guilty. That was the only way he could describe the expression on Mingyu’s face, even though it did not make any sense. The Alpha had never done anything wrong to him. 

Maybe he became upset having to hear the prince’s grievances. Soonyoung’s emotions were probably too much for him to bear, and he was now regretting his request to wash the Omega’s feet. 

Eventually, his legs were dried and massaged with a soothing oil, and his feet were slipped into a beautiful pair of silk beoseon. 

The cook dumped the dirty water out the window and cleaned up the washroom quietly, still crestfallen and muted by his blatant dismay.

“Mingyu-ssi,” the prince called out. “I just wanted to say thank you…for doing this for me…and for protecting me.”

Mingyu turned to him and paused. His eyes fluttered, and his gaze became softer. 

Without saying anything, the Alpha scooped him up from the divan he was sitting on and whisked him away.

“M-Mingyu-ssi! What are you doing?!”

Was this considered inappropriate?

It had to be. 

Mingyu was not carrying him like the Masked General had. He was not tossed over the cook’s shoulder.

The Alpha instead carried him with one arm underneath his legs and the other supporting his back. 

Soonyoung was cradled against his broad chest, and he could feel the warmth radiating from the cook’s body.

It felt comfortable and indescribably safe to held like this, and he almost did not ever want to leave this Alpha’s arms.

Before the prince could whack himself in the head for thinking such dirty thoughts, Mingyu set him down atop the bed and against the pillows with utmost care. “You should rest before supper, Wangja-nim.”

“O-Oh…uhh, y-yes," Soonyoung stammered, trying to calm down his galloping heart. "Y-You still have to cook, don’t you? I’m...I'm sorry for t-taking up so much of your time.”

Mingyu shook his head once more and mumbled something under his breath. Before Soonyoung could ask him what it was he’d muttered, the Alpha turned away and soundlessly left the room.

* * *

The prince had to excuse himself early from the dinner table. Seungkwan, of course, had fussed over his intent to depart prematurely, but Soonyoung reassured him that there had not been anything wrong with the food and that he was, indeed, feeling perfectly fine.

Mingyu had cooked galbitang that night - his most favorite dish since he was little. The Alpha had even served it with chili oil and a side of young radish kimchi, which was what the Kwon Royal Family had been eating the short rib soup with for many generations. 

In the Aster Province, Soonyoung only ever got to eat this on his birthday, but even then, his mother would only allow him a few meager sips of broth and a couple chunks of meat. He'd be lucky if she would grant him three spoonfuls of multi-grain rice with it.

According to her, anything more than that would make him grow too physically displeasing to the eyes, and the Alpha King would have him beaten if his body ever swelled in size.

So instead of being excited to eat the meal, the Omega felt like he was being tortured. Usually he would idly chat as Seungkwan finished his generous portions, but this time, Soonyoung had to physically pry himself away from the luscious soup after just two bites. 

It tasted too good. It was so good that he swore he could eat two bowls of rice with it and finish the whole pot of ribs by himself. 

The spice from the chili oil continued tingling on his tongue, stimulating his appetite even more than usual. That, combined with the sour and salty radish kimchi, made his stomach turn into a ferocious beast that kept demanding more food. 

That was why he chose to wander about the pavilions in the opposite end of the palace instead of going straight back to his room.

The walk gave himself something else to do besides think about his hunger, and the area was usually empty whenever he was there. Although it was not as nice as the gardens, beneath a darkened sky, the individual gazebos were prettily lighted with different colored glass-lanterns, and the resulting ambience gave the pavilions an all-new level of grandeur. 

Soonyoung could almost say the view evoked a sense of _romance_.

Unfortunately, on this night, the Kwon prince could not hoard the privilege of privacy all to himself.

He found two figures - an Alpha and an Omega, if their scents could be relied upon - standing together under one particular gazebo.

Before they could notice him, Soonyoung hid behind a tree with an overgrowth of clematises on its branches.

Although he had not meant to eavesdrop, the prince did not wish to make his presence known and disturb the two with his aimless meandering. It had felt as if he’d walked into an intimate moment - with the way he’d seen the two gaze at each other, both perceptible adoration and hesitation lodged in between them. 

So he stayed fixed against the tree’s trunk and waited for the right moment to leave. 

“Have you been thinking carefully about what I said?” the Alpha’s deep voice resonated.

“Hyung,” came the Omega’s lighter tone. “My father is not a senseless person. He will give us his blessings if our feelings for one another are true and sincere.”

“But when it comes to his son, you know he will not accept just any Alpha.”

“You’re not just any Alpha! Why can’t you fight for us as I am trying to?!”

“It’s not that simple,” the Alpha groused. “You’re the _Crown Prince of Gwangsan Kim_. Do you really think our king - or any king in history, for that matter - would just let you be with someone like me? A defector? An Alpha who turned his back on his own people just to save his own skin?”

“That is not what happened, and you know it!”

“ _Chan_ , it doesn’t matter. What matters is what the other clans think. If we were to ever marry and you succeed His Highness as the new king, Chrysanthemum State’s allies will come for you…and if anything were to happen to you, I would never forgive myself. I am endangering you and your family enough as it is for staying here.”

“What are you trying to say, _Wonwoo_? Do you think of me as nothing but a powerless Omega? Do you think I don’t already know what the risks are? Do you really think I’m not prepared to defend myself in battle? And to defend you if need be?!”

Soonyoung’s brows furrowed. Why was the Omega speaking as if he were an Alpha soldier - as if he knew how to brandish a weapon and skirmish with his enemies?

Come to think of it, Xu Minghao was also an Omega, and he had his own weapon. 

So he knew the Crown Prince was not fabricating his words, but the whole notion still seemed confusing and somewhat absurd to him. 

Why would the Alpha king make his own son a soldier? 

It would have been an entirely different matter if Chan had been born an Alpha, but the boy was an Omega.

Was the Ruler of Firestorm Fortress really this sadistic?

For the king to force his own son and some of the Omegas under him to train and fight against Alphas, knowing fully well that there would be an imbalance of power…Soonyoung couldn’t help but feel perturbed.

“I thought you recognized my strength,” Chan muttered irritably. “I thought you trusted me enough to watch your back whenever we’re out there on the king's crusades. Were all those just lies to play with my emotions?!”

The Alpha grabbed hold of the Omega’s hands. “Of course not! Never once had I said anything to you that was not from my heart. I meant what I said. I love you so much… I love you with every fiber of my being…”

If Jeonghan’s words to Jisoo had been an impassioned sonnet, Wonwoo’s words to Chan were a much closer to a lyric - bold and straightforward. The lines were so clearcut and raw that it was both so beautiful and painful to hear. 

“But…” Wonwoo's voice faltered, tainted with an undercurrent of desolation. “…but I also meant what I said when I told you we cannot be together. I cannot risk your life, no matter how much I want to be with you.”

The Kwon prince felt his heart ache. He turned his body slightly and inched forward to get a better look at the scene before him. 

Their dialogue had sounded much like a love story between two characters in a novel. 

He wanted to know if how they felt for one another was real. He wanted to know how this tale would end. Sadly, he was in the real world, and he could not skip through the pages to see if they were truly destined for each other in the end.

“So you would stand on the sidelines and watch me marry another Alpha someday? You would do nothing if someone else wished to claim me and mark my neck with the bonding bite?”

“If that would keep you safe…if that would guarantee your absolute protection…then yes.”

The Omega had not been appeased at all. “Then your love is nothing but a lie. If you truly loved me…you would find a way to be with me rather than make up excuses not to.”

Chan angrily disconnected their joined hands and stomped away with a defiant countenance. 

Wonwoo moved quickly to follow after him. “Your Highness, wait!”

“ _What are you doing here?_ ”

Soonyoung gasped and swiftly turned around. He wasn’t sure how long Minghao had been standing behind him.

“Oh goodness, you scared me!” he wailed dramatically, hand over his rapidly beating heart.

The thin Omega offered him no comfort. “That just makes you all the more suspicious. What diablerie are you up to this time?”

“What?! I…I didn’t- n-nothing!” the prince stuttered timorously, even though there was nothing to be nervous about. “I wasn’t doing anything!” 

Minghao peered at him with a face full of judgment and beckoned him to come closer with a wave of his finger.

Soonyoung tiptoed forward at an awkward angle, overly conscious of the sheathed sword once again in Minghao’s left hand. 

“Explain to me why you were eavesdropping on the Crown Prince’s conversation,” the willowy Omega stated, eyes narrowed as he observed the prince carefully.

“Okay, that was not intentional,” Soonyoung asserted. “I did not know they would be here when I arrived.”

Minghao released a ‘hmph!’ noise filled with obvious cynicism. “Why are you even out here? Aren’t you supposed to be eating the food your _favorite Alpha_ cooked _just for you_?”

Just for him? 

Oh, if only that were true.

“Don’t mock me,” the prince said with a grimace. “I know I’m not that special. You don’t have to rub it in.”

“Hm… You really aren’t that special. I’m glad you’re aware of that.”

He was more than well aware of that. Ever since he got here, it was all he could mull over as the days went by. Minghao really did not need to drive the point into his tired head any further, but he seemed to think that Soonyoung had a prince complex and would not give him any peace about it.

Sure, he had the title but only in the Aster Province, and even there, he would never dream of acting like the awful, entitled person Minghao assumed him to be.

Unwilling to subject himself to anymore squabbles, Soonyoung maneuvered around his Omega contemporary and slowly started walking away. “Well if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be going back to my room now.”

The willowy Omega did not answer, and the prince did not bother waiting for any. 

Unfortunately, as Soonyoung sauntered through the long corridors, Minghao stalked behind him within a distance less than five feet. 

Even when he attempted to move faster, the thin Omega simply picked up the pace to maintain his pursuit. 

“Why are you following me?” the Kwon prince snapped over his shoulder. 

Minghao retained a stony and unimpressed face. 

“Just making sure you don’t try to steal anything again.”

Soonyoung rolled his eyes and glanced onward once more. “Of course.”

The Omega prince wouldn’t be surprised if a portion of his freedom would be reduced one of these days. No doubt Minghao would soon let his beloved general know that Soonyoung was just always up to no good and shouldn’t be provided such liberties any longer.

He could always start playing nice with Minghao and maybe even seek an amity, but he was quite certain that the armed Omega would see right through his act.

As they slowly approached Soonyoung’s quarters, the prince caught sight of an object resting in front of his door.

“What’s this?” he queried, tilting his head in bewilderment as he tried to figure out what the item was. 

The Omega prince crouched down, and his fingers reached out to grab hold of a smooth, red lacquer box. 

“It looks like desperation,” Minghao commented blandly, eyeing the object in repugnance. 

“What is that supposed to even mean?”

He swore they were speaking the same language, but Soonyoung could not fathom what Minghao was trying to imply. 

Were his words supposed to be humorous? Taunting? Sarcastic?

Looking at it more closely, the prince could see just how impeccably crafted the box was. The surface had been hand-painted with white and gold firestorms, and the colors were accentuated by polished brass hardware. The entire box itself was not big but still felt hefty in his hands, so he knew the material it was made from was not at all cheap.

Was this really for him? 

Or had the box been left there by mistake?

The prince flipped the clasps over with his thumb, and the box’s lid opened to reveal an ivory comb nestled in nightshade silk.

His eyes widened in awe.

There were intricate carvings of calico asters on the comb. He’d recognize his homeland’s signature flower anywhere. 

Soonyoung had received many combs from other nations over the years, but none of them could hold a candle to the one in front of him right now. 

It was a bit overwhelming to think that someone would willingly give this to him.

“Minghao…this is…this is so-” 

“Substandard? Mediocre?” The thin Omega interjected negatively.

Soonyoung frowned. “I was going to say ‘lovely’… Why must you think the worst of me?”

“You’re a prince. It is only in your nature to be deplorable and uncaring of others.” 

This again.

What ever happened to Xu Minghao for him to have so much prejudice over someone he hardly knew?

“Then…it is only fortunate that I have no power to hurt you or your loved ones.”

The willowy Omega glared at him and huffed before turning away. “Good night, _Wangja-nim_.”

“Good night to you too, Minghao…”

He kept the box close to his chest as he entered his room, silently wondering if the person who’d given him this present shared the same sentiments as Xu Minghao did regarding his character.

* * *

He’d long established that Seungkwan was a garrulous Omega in the best way possible. Given his prominent position in the palace’s hierarchy, Soonyoung knew he could be counted on to provide useful information on dwellers of Firestorm Fortress.

So at breakfast the next day, the prince ignored his rumbling stomach and instead, pestered Boo Seungkwan with his endless questions.

“Seungkwan-ssi, how many children does the Alpha king have?”

The question had come just as Seungkwan was about to tuck into his own bowl of soup. So the well-dressed Omega paused and put down his spoon. “Just one.”

“And…he’s an Omega just like us right?”

“How did you know tha-”

“Is he truly a sword-wielder? Like Xu Minghao?

“Well, yes, but when did you-”

“Do you know where is Xu Minghao from?”

“I believe he grew up in Sweet Autumn City-”

“How long has he been here?”

“A couple of years now-”

“Why is he so mean? Is this how he is with other Omegas as well?”

“Wangja-nim! Please slow down!” Seungkwan pleaded, looking every bit concerned as to why the prince was so curious about one specific palace resident. “Why are you fascinated with Xu Minghao all of the sudden?”

“I wish to understand him better." 

“Are you...do you…Wangja-nim, do you- uhm…do you have _amorous feelings for him_?”

The shattering of a porcelain bowl echoed from inside the kitchen. Soonyoung worriedly got up from his seat, but Seungkwan immediately ushered him back down.

“That was nothing. Don't worry about that,” was the round-faced Omega's not-so-assuring statement.

Seungkwan peaked into the kitchen, harshly muttering something the prince couldn't quite hear properly, before he glanced back at Soonyoung with a wide smile and forced laughter. “Uhhh…yes, it's fine. Everything’s perfectly fine.”

It was not very convincing.

“Are you sure, Seungkwan-ssi?”

“Yes, yes, yes. Accidents happen every now and then.” The Omega started fanning himself tensely. “So, uh, back to our conversation…”

The prince sensed the uneasiness in Seungkwan's behavior but decided to leave it alone for now. “You…asked if I have amorous feelings for Xu Minghao? Well, my answer is no. My curiosity does not stem from a desire to be with him in any romantic way.”

Upon hearing his response, Seungkwan practically deflated in his seat. “Oh….oh, thank heavens…oh…ohhh, I thought I was gonna have a panic attack…okay, you may continue, Wangja-nim.”

“Right...so...I really just...want to know why he thinks I’m such a bad person. Then maybe I could figure out why he keeps calling me selfish and repulsive-”

Another bowl shattered in the kitchen, the sound more ear-splitting than the first time, causing the two Omegas to sharply turn their heads to the source of the disturbance in alarm. One thing was certain - the porcelain that broke had not hit the floor. 

Mingyu emerged with an intense scowl on his face…and a pair of bloodied hands that left liquid scarlet in his path. His aura was frightening, and he looked just about ready to kill someone as he walked with his gaze set completely forward.

“Mingyu-ssi, are you alright?!” Soonyoung exclaimed, instinctively reaching out to stop him from leaving. 

Seungkwan swiftly grabbed his wrist and pulled him back before the prince could touch the enraged Alpha.

Mingyu did not pay them any heed and kept on walking until he disappeared out the door. 

Just what exactly had made the typically shy and calm Alpha so angry?

“Is…is he going to be okay?” 

His gaze returned to his Omega contemporary, and it startled him to see Seungkwan look so pale and shaken by what had just happened.

“S-Seungkwan-ssi?”

For the first time since Soonyoung arrived in Firestorm Fortress, Boo Seungkwan was absolutely silent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can't believe I forgot to add my ending note X___X how have you guys been? I hope you liked this tiny little progress with SoonGyu. Washing someone's feet in korean culture is a pretty huge deal *wink wink* IDK why I have this SoonHao kink that makes its way into almost all my fics. I think I just really like their interactions IRL XD everyone in SVT is so cute and inspiring. 
> 
> Let me know what you guys think! I love answering comments and interacting with people who read my stories <3 more and more characters are coming! And the story is about to get deeper <33333
> 
> Edit: forgot to add something again! In case anyone got confused, the first bowl - Mingyu accidentally dropped. The second bowl - he shattered in his hands out of anger.


	7. Chapter 7

_Between the time when flowers bloom and scatter, scars heal and sprouts emerge. We live for this moment, the first and last. That's why I won't take you for granted, because you love somebody like me..._

_-Seventeen, Fallin' Flower (2020)_

The knocks came at the usual time Seungkwan would come to fetch him for supper, but when Soonyoung opened the door to his room, he was met with the impassive face of an entirely different person.

His usual, chipper contemporary was nowhere within the hallways, and though Soonyoung had thought the short Omega in front of him had probably knocked on the wrong door, there was no change in the way he was staring straight up at the prince. 

“H-Hello…how may I help you?” Soonyoung tried to greet as politely as could. 

This Omega was not dressed as prettily as Boo Seungkwan or Hong Jisoo, but he was still donned in nightshade with silver and white mixed into the details of his robes. His scent was almost nonexistent. Soonyoung could hardly smell anything off of him besides the faintest touch of Lisianthus on his exposed skin. He might have even assumed the Omega was a Beta if it hadn’t been for the honey-like sweetness mingled into his distinct floral scent. 

Was he another one of the Alpha king's concubines?

“Seungkwan is occupied with pressing matters at the moment,” the small Omega informed him. “He asked me to accompany you to supper instead.”

The last time he’d seen the talkative Omega was at breakfast, and their activities for the day had been postponed due to “unforeseen circumstances”, which had not really explained much.

Maybe his newly-designated companion could tell him what had happened.

“Is Seungkwan alright?” he cared enough to want to know.

The small Omega nodded. “He’ll be fine. He’s just busy with the king right now but have no worries. Seungkwan is usually the best at handling His Highness’s impassioned throes.”

“Oh…” the prince responded lamely. “That’s…um…”

Seungkwan was busy attending to their ruler’s needs. 

It was uncomfortable to think about. Poor Seungkwan would most likely have a sore back again tomorrow. Hopefully, the Alpha king would treat him better this time around. He really should be getting used talking about these things soon, because eventually, Soonyoung would also be one of those summoned to the royal bedchambers.

He wasn’t sure whether the new Omega noticed his discomfort, but if he did, no words were said to bring attention to it. “You must be hungry. Let’s go eat, shall we?

“Yes…we should not dally any further,” the prince answered uneasily. “You must be hungry yourself from working all day long.”

The short Omega hummed in agreement and gestured for the prince to start walking with an open hand. 

They sauntered side-by-side to the dining area, quietly taking the expedition with a solemness the Kwon Omega wasn’t used to. It made Soonyoung realize how Seungkwan’s jolly temperament and animated expressions livened up even the most mundane undertakings.

His new companion exuded a strikingly different personality. He seemed to be a lot calmer and more reserved than even Mingyu - definitely similar to the Omegas the prince had grown up surrounded by.

When they arrived in the dining room he always ate in, Soonyoung’s narrow eyes widened as he immediately recognized the spindly Alpha coming out of the kitchen.

“Jihoon-ah, did you want two or three bowls of rice today?” Wonwoo, the Crown Prince’s secret lover, asked as he balanced a tray of food in one hand. 

“Just two for now,” the Omega Soonyoung now knew as Jihoon, said as they settled into their seats. “Isn’t Junhui cooking on the grill tonight?” 

Wonwoo carefully placed the bowls on the table one at a time. “Yeah, he’s using all the meat we have left over from yesterday.”

The prince nervously stared at the Alpha as he placed the rest of the side dishes on the table, expecting nasty comments to come his way for sitting idly instead of helping. But not once had Wonwoo demanded that he or Jihoon lift a finger.

Was the small Omega above the hierarchy like Boo Seungkwan?

Wasn't Wonwoo supposed to be a soldier and not another vassal like Mingyu? Why was he the one setting up the table if that were so?

This place was becoming more and more confusing the longer he stayed here.

His head started hurting, right at his temples, and Soonyoung had to wonder whether it was from thinking too much or from not eating anything all day.

The Alpha plopped down on the opposite side of the table where Soonyoung was sitting, before groaning and stretching out his upper limbs. “Waaaaah…I wanna eat so badly. I feel like I’m gonna die if I don’t eat soon…”

“I promise you, you can't possibly be hungrier than I am right now,” Jihoon replied, pouring clear liquid into tiny cups from a white ceramic bottle. 

There were hand-painted orchids over the surface of the container, and they reminded Soonyoung of the firestorms on his own red lacquer box. 

“Then good thing there’s kimchi stew boiling on the stove right now too,” Wonwoo divulged.

Though he did not smile, the small Omega’s countenance brightened with a pleased look. “Junhui made kimchi stew too? Wow, I’m touched. It’s like he knew exactly what I wanted.”

“I’m sorry, you said… _Junhui_ is cooking right now?” Soonyoung had to interrupt, anxious as to why someone else was doing Mingyu’s job yet again.

Jihoon made a disgruntled noise in the back of his throat. “Yeah, Junhui had to take over, because _a certain someone_ decided to act out again today.”

Was this a regular occurrence?

What happened after Mingyu left the kitchen earlier?

Was he being punished right now?

Soonyoung could not hold back his fretful expression. “But what did he do-”

Before he could finish his inquiry, another Alpha entered the dining room with two giant plates of grilled meat.

“Who’s ready to eat?!” he bellowed so exuberantly that the Omega prince could almost see the excitement and elation bleeding out of his pores.

Jihoon and Wonwoo straightened up in their seats and picked up their utensils - the both of them now more zestful compared to their previously listless states.

The appetizing smell of cooked beef wafted strongly in between them as Junhui - Soonyoung could only presume - laid both plates in the center of the table.

“Eat, eat! I’ll be back with the stew,” the Alpha, even larger than Wonwoo was, encouraged them gleefully. 

Still, as a courtesy, they waited for Junhui to return before using their chopsticks to pick up bites of food. 

Soonyoung had never eaten a meal in front of another Alpha, let alone two. Even his own father had never shared a meal with him, and although he had been lectured on how to eat in front of an Alpha husband, the prince found himself completely puzzled as to what he should do. 

What he had learned versus what he was seeing right now contrasted starker than night and day, making him question everything about how it was to be an Omega.

Right next to him, Jihoon was not acting the way an ideal Omega was supposed to. He did not wait for the two Alphas to pick their preferred morsels first. He grabbed meat and side dishes without asking either of them if it was okay, and he definitely wasn’t hiding behind his sleeves as he ate mouthful after mouthful. 

These were all the things Soonyoung was taught _not_ to do, but no one at the table seemed to care about dining etiquette.

Was this a show of power?

Was Jihoon’s status really that high above the hierarchy? So high that the two Alphas wouldn’t even dare to question his eating habits?

“Wangja-nim, don’t be shy. Just eat whatever you want,” Jihoon urged him, already done with his first bowl of rice.

The prince picked up his chopsticks and slowly brought small portions of vegetables to his lips, chewing softly and quietly compared to the three others gorging themselves without restraint.

“Here, eat this before those two finish everything,” the small Omega said as he placed one too many pieces of beef on top of Soonyoung’s bowl of rice.

“Ah…t-thank you! This is…this should be m-more than enough,” the Kwon prince stated abashedly, swallowing apprehensively at the sight of oily, tender meat piling high on his rice.

Everything looked so good. How would he be able to control himself?

“Nonsense!” Wonwoo remarked, switching out Jihoon’s empty bowl with another full one next to him. “When Wen Junhui cooks, you eat everything. No questions asked.”

“That’s right,” Jihoon concurred. “When Wen Junhui cooks, life suddenly has meaning again.”

The Alpha of current interest chuckled with his food-filled mouth. “You guys are flattering me so fiercely today. I think Minghao actually might get jealous this time around.”

“Why would he be jealous of us? He’s the one who’s going to marry you,” Wonwoo said, before slurping some stew and hissing from the spiciness. “Wow, how do you make this is so damn good?”

Junhui and Minghao were engaged?

This was the person Minghao wanted to marry in the future?

But they did not seem to be compatible at all. 

Wen Junhui appeared to be extremely high-spirited and good-natured, while Xu Minghao was just…brash and callous.

Soonyoung couldn’t imagine them being an affectionate pair.

“Wangja-nim, try the kimchi stew,” Jihoon urged him again, visibly taking note of the untouched food in front of the prince. “Seungkwan was right. You are a picky eater.”

Hearing the Omega’s comment, Soonyoung irritably relented and reached for the spicy red broth with his spoon. He blew at the piping hot liquid before cautiously taking a sip, and right away, the vibrant flavors danced merrily on his tongue. Never before had he tried a stew that tasted this good.

But he reeled in the compulsion to have another sip and steadied himself before speaking. “It’s…pleasant.”

The stew wasn’t just pleasant though. It was honestly _magical_. But Soonyoung couldn’t express his delight. He’d always been instructed not to be overly enthusiastic about food as it was unbecoming of a prince like him. 

His years of self-suppression proved to work well in his favor. Nobody could tell that he was lying.

“Oh, Junhui, you need to cook him every single dish from your hometown,” Wonwoo stated, giggling at the other Alpha’s humorously peeved expression.

“Wangja-nim has been eating good food his entire life. Even the White Swan Empire’s cuisine may not impress him at this point,” Junhui commented, before eating another piece of meat.

The rest of the dinner went by with the three loudly chatting amongst themselves and Soonyoung listening half-heartedly as he nibbled at his food. 

By the time the plates were all emptied, Jihoon had triumphantly consumed five bowls of rice as opposed to Junhui’s three and Wonwoo’s two.

It was startling, not borderline disturbing, to see another Omega eat so much more than Seungkwan did, but Jihoon’s large appetite did bring a small smile to Soonyoung’s lips. At least one of them was free to eat to his little heart’s content.

But Soonyoung started getting worried when Jihoon’s face and neck began taking on an alarmingly reddish hue. Despite the numerous gulps of water he’d been zealously drinking throughout the meal, the fieriness in his skin would not dissipate.

“Jihoon-ssi, I think you might be having an allergic reaction to something you ate,” the prince hastily brought up. “Maybe we should have the royal physician take a look at you.”

The small Omega hiccuped and polished off the rest of the seaweed salad. “I _am_ the royal physician, and as someone in this respectable position, I highly recommend that you finish your drink.”

Jihoon pointed at the small cup of water Soonyoung had yet to touch.

Wonwoo, with his cheeks tinted pink, fervidly threw back his own drink and added, “Yes… Wangja-nim…Wangja-nim, you must listen to the doctor’s orders!”

“Lee-seonsaengnim knows what’s best,” Junhui supplemented with a wink, waving around another ceramic bottle covered in orchids and downing the entire thing like a parched man.

Soonyoung did not know why they were suddenly being so insistent with him finishing his water, but the prince did as they instructed. He picked up the cup and finished the clear liquid in one gulp, but the taste that lingered on his tongue was sweet and bitter instead of flavorless.

“What…what did I just drink?” the Kwon Omega asked, feeling an uncomfortable burn running in his esophagus. 

“It’s…Cattle- Cattleya… _medicine_ , Wang…ja-nim,” came Wonwoo's slurring speech, accompanied by tiny burps. “For…the heart…”

Jihoon grabbed Soonyoung’s cup and poured more liquid until it overflowed and spilled all over the table. 

“Here, have another.” The small Omega roughly handed him the refilled cup. 

The prince accepted it, painfully ignoring how some of the liquid had spilled onto his hand, and chose to sniff at the “water” before attempting to drink it again. There was no herbal fragrance for it to be called medicine, and the taste had been too bitter to be fruit nectar.

Whatever kind of remedy it was, the potency could not be challenged. Already, the Kwon Omega was feeling the effects. His body felt warmer, and his head felt lighter. The heavy tension and anxiety he’d been feeling since he got here lifted of his shoulders one ounce at a time.

“Should I?” Soonyoung queried with hesitation. He did not wish to have an overdose, but Jihoon was already guiding his yielding hand and the drink to his lips. 

“It’s okay. We won’t tell if you don’t,” the small Omega whispered to him, making sure the prince was consuming every last drop. “There you go…good job…”

He had drank the entire second cup, and thankfully, the liquid did not burn as bad as the first time. But there seemed to be worrisome side effects this time. His limbs were loosening, and his hands were weakening drastically. “W-What’s happening to me?”

Junhui sniggered playfully. “Who would’ve thought Wangja-nim was a lightweight?”

“That’s ‘cuz he…he baaaaarreeely ate…anything,” Wonwoo garbled, taking Soonyoung’s unfinished bowl of food for himself. 

The Omega prince’s eyes became half-lidded, and his vision was gradually losing more and more focus. Everything around him started looking fuzzy, and every part of him felt more sensitive than before, especially his skin. It was hot to touch and silken-soft. Like tofu. Oh, he should have eaten more tofu.

He spotted a single piece of cucumber left in one of the small plates. When he tried to pick it up his chopsticks, the utensils fell out of his hand and clattered noisily on the table.

“Oh no!!!” he cried out. What was wrong with his body?

Had he been poisoned?

But they were all drinking the same liquid. Why weren’t their movements being compromised?

Junhui picked up the last piece of cucumber and took it for himself. “Wangja-nim, I can’t believe you’re already drunk!” he chuckled, before placing the vegetable in his open mouth.

Drunk?

He was drunk?

This was what being drunk felt like?

Why would people willingly do this to themselves?

Soonyoung got up from his seat, and his body swayed as he tried to take a steady step away from the table. Luckily, a pair of strong arms caught him before he could collide with the floor. 

A compelling, floral aroma invaded his senses, and the prince couldn’t help but bury his nose directly into the source…which just happened to be someone’s chest. All his inhibitions had jumped off a cliff and abandoned him all by his lonesome, and Soonyoung could not care less. 

His hands grasped the fabric of the person’s robes, and he nuzzled his face deeper against the warm torso he was leaning on.

“Why do you smell so good?” he mumbled to the Alpha. 

Wait, was this an Alpha?

The prince looked up, but his eyes were too blurry to figure out who it was. 

A whiny sound escaped his throat, and in his proper state of mind, he would have never affixed himself to a stranger so shamelessly. But right now, his body was determined to stay plastered to this tall person who felt warm and smelled like a mixture of so many comforting things - blossoms in spring…juniper berries and sandalwood soaked in oil…a fireplace in icy winter. They all reminded him of the home he missed so dearly. 

But this person…

This person smelled like a new home he could have all to himself.

“Wangja-nim, let me take you back to your room,” the stranger said as he gently ran a hand through the prince’s hair.

“No…” Soonyoung protested feebly, closing his eyes and relishing the loving caresses on his head. 

What made him so afraid of Alphas again? 

At the moment, he could neither recall nor care at all to remember the reason, because being in an Alpha’s arms felt fantastic.

If only he could have done this with Mingyu yesterday…

“Why did you make him drink?!” was the last thing the prince heard before he unconsciously stopped listening.

Everyone was too distracted by the Omega willingly nestling himself in the interloper’s arms to answer the question.

“I’m not drunk enough to watch this,” Jihoon lamented, making gagging noises as he searched for a bottle that actually still had some clear liquid in it. But they were all empty, and the Omega pouted from his futile search. “This is the last time I’m drinking with you greedy Alphas.”

“That’s what you said last time. But every time an Omega tries flirting with Seungcheol-hyung, you just clam up and ignore him and drag me and Wonwoo straight to the liquor cellar,” Junhui savagely disclosed. 

Wonwoo lifted his head from the table to spew out, “Y-Yeah…wha…what are you doing letting…letting other Omegas flirt with your Alpha?” 

“He’s not my Alpha!” Jihoon cried out in embarrassment, ten shades redder than before. “Shut up, Wonwoo! Like you’re any better!”

“Jihoon, don’t you dare!” 

The aggrieved Alpha threw himself over the table to grapple the small Omega and cover his impious mouth.

Junhui snuck a concealed bottle of liquor to his lips while his two friends weren’t looking and chugged the entire drink before Jihoon could escape out of Wonwoo’s chokehold. 

The small Omega then proceeded to lift his much taller opponent over his head, but just as he was about to throw Wonwoo at the wall, another Alpha arrived at the scene - the one Jihoon had been ignoring all day long.

“What is going on in here?!” Seungcheol roared, taking the now unconscious Wonwoo away from the Omega and heaving the lanky male over his padded shoulders. “Yah, Lee Jihoon! How many times do I have to tell you to stop drinking?!”

Jihoon’s gaze turned downward in mortification, and he receded into a corner to hide his face.

The angry Alpha soldier turned to Junhui next. “You’re the one who handles liquor best. Why would you let these two fight right in front of _His Majesty_?!”

Before he could say anything, Junhui passed out right on the floor, the Cattleya bottle rolling out of his open palm. The ceramic container journeyed all the way to Seungcheol’s feet, and upon seeing the painted orchids, he released an irritated sigh.

He really needed to stop making the liquor so strong.

“I am so sorry, Your Highness,” Seungcheol apologized to the Alpha next to him.

The king did not halt playing with Soonyoung’s hair as he spoke. “It’s fine. Just call Minghao to help you take care of Junhui.”

“Would you like me to escort Wangja-nim to his chambers?”

“No need. I will take him there myself.”

* * *

When the Kwon prince woke up the next morning, there was merciless pounding in his head. 

He couldn’t recollect how he'd gotten back to his room last night, and the only thing he could remember was having supper with Jihoon before everything became hazy.

Seungkwan had left him some soup in the dining area of his room, as well as a jar of pear juice with a note attached to it.

_Just rest for today, Wangja-nim. I hope you feel better soon._

The garrulous Omega must have heard from Jihoon and the others that he'd knocked out for some embarrassing reason. He’d probably hit his head on something, and that was why it was hurting so much this morning.

Soonyoung would have grinned at the sweet gesture if he wasn’t feeling so ill and his stomach wasn’t growling like a wild animal.

The prince quickly gobbled up the entire bowl of soup and finished the whole jar of pear juice with little self-control. 

Sated and incredibly grateful, Soonyoung started feeling better within minutes. 

He washed himself in the tub of hot water Seungkwan had probably filled up for him and changed into a fresh set of nightshade robes.

A dainty bouquet of freshly picked firestorms were on the table next to his wardrobe. The Omega lifted the blossoms up to smell them and inhaled, smiling blissfully as the aroma brought serenity to his heart. Nothing would ever defeat his beloved calico asters, but the prince could definitely say firestorms now came in second on his list of favorite flowers.

Soonyoung carried them with him as he walked out of his room to get some fresh air. He immediately thought of searching for Seungkwan but decided against it incase he was currently in the middle of an important task.

The library seemed to be closed for the day, an unusual circumstance, and even after Soonyoung knocked on the door and waited, the bookkeeper did not come to open the entrance and allow him inside.

So he made his way to the Firestorm Gardens, wondering if it was a good day to visit Hong Jisoo. Soonyoung had no intention or ill will to agitate the Second Prince if that was all his presence would do, but he still wanted to try stopping by if Jisoo would have him.

When he turned the corner into the garden, the prince saw another Omega already strolling through the walkways. The expression on his face was dull and gloomy, and his fingers were absently plucking out all the petals of a Chrysanthemum flower.

It was the Crown Prince, Soonyoung realized, and his whole demeanor practically screamed to the entire world that he was achingly _sad_.

Feeling sympathetic, Soonyoung approached the dejected-looking boy. They were both princes who grew up in court, and they both no doubt had to take on criticisms and insults for presenting as Omegas from a whole nation that put Alpha sons on a pedestal. 

But at least he had not been forced to train with Alphas in combat. Soonyoung could only imagine how much physical pain Chan had to go through every single day. 

“Are you alright?” he asked the Crown Prince, voice low so he wouldn’t startle the brooding Omega.

Chan looked up at him, finally cognizant of Soonyoung’s presence, and started sulking even harder. “Why are Alphas so stupid?!”

Taken aback by the question, Soonyoung did not really know how to answer that. “Um…uhh…because…because they think they’re superior to Betas and Omegas just because they have more brawn and sexual stamina?”

The Crown Prince nodded fervently and chucked the dismembered flower into the garden soil. “And they think they’re always right just because they were born Alphas! And everyone else just goes along with their stupidity! Why is the world so unfair?!”

“I’ve always wondered about that too.” He offered the Crown Prince a small, sorrowful smile. “Believe me, not a day goes by where I didn’t wish I was born an Alpha.”

Chan’s frown deepened. “But…but then if you weren’t born an Omega, you might not have grown to be so kind and generous.”

Kind and generous?

Someone has definitely _not_ been speaking with Xu Minghao recently.

“Wherever did you hear that from? I could be an immoral and whorish Omega for all you know.”

The Crown Prince grimaced. “Immoral and whorish? My father told me you are a kind and generous prince from the Aster Province , and he’s never lied to me before!”

Soonyoung’s breath got caught in his throat. “You…you know who I am?”

“Everyone knows you who are! You’re Kwon Soonyoung - Omega Prince of the Andong Kwon Royal Family.”

“Ah, y-yes.” He had to wonder exactly when and where the Crown Prince had seen him, because only yesterday had he encountered the boy. “That’s…that is correct.”

“So tell me, Wangja-nim. Do you like it here? Would you like to stay forever?”

His words were suspiciously hopeful and earnest, as if he were a child asking a playmate to be friends forever. 

Maybe he did not know the reason why Soonyoung had been taken here.

Poor, naive little Chan.

He would learn soon.

“I…well, first of all, you don't have to call me Wangja-nim. I should be the one addressing you as such.”

Chan blinked at him in confusion. “Eh? But why? Everyone here was told to use your title-”

The Crown prince abruptly stopped, eyes widening at something behind Soonyoung, before he gasped sharply. “Oh no… Oh no, oh no, oh no!”

“What’s wrong, Your Majesty?” The Kwon Omega felt a rush of chills down his spine at the horror in Chan’s orbs.

What was behind him?

_Who_ was behind him?

He did not want to look. 

If Chan was acting like this, Soonyoung could not bring himself to look.

The boy grabbed his hand and tugged him close, using Soonyoung as a shield to hide his form. “Don’t let him see me!”

“Who? Who is it that you are so terrified of?”

“Chaaaaaaaan…” the monster called out with its teasing, satiny voice. “Chaaaaan, I can smell youuuuu…”

Soonyoung knew who it belonged to right away. Slowly, he turned to face the Alpha.

Jeonghan ambled into the gardens, chuckling menacingly as he stalked around them like they were his helpless prey.

“No! Get away from me!” Chan screamed, and a surge of overprotectiveness took hold of Soonyoung’s body.

The Kwon prince spun around held his arms out to defended the boy against the Alpha baring his fangs in an evil smile.

Who was this evil person before him?

Why was Jeonghan acting so maniacally?

What happened to the Jeonghan he’d had a heartfelt conversation with just days ago?

“Chaaaaan, I’m not in the mood to chase you today. You wouldn’t want to run all the way up the mountains again now, would you?”

He was threatening the Crown Prince now. This was treason!

How long had Jeonghan been this unhinged?

The boy peaked over Soonyoung’s shoulder and responded meekly. “No…”

“Come here then,” the Alpha imposed, smirking devilishly.

It was not an Alpha command, but Chan moved to do as he was ordered.

Soonyoung barred him getting closer to Jeonghan. “Chan, no!”

Where were the Crown Prince’s guards?

Weren’t there supposed to be guards to protect him from wayward Alphas like this?

“It’s okay, Wangja-nim…” Chan gently pushed the Kwon Omega’s arm down and muttered, “I’m used to this…”

His heart splintered at the boy’s tragic confession. “Chan…”

What exactly was this poor Omega used to?

What was the Alpha going to do to him? 

Hit him?

Oh gosh. Soonyoung did not know what he would do if that happened right before his very eyes.

Chan trudged closer to the Alpha with an annoyed look on his face, and right when Jeonghan placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder, Soonyoung wanted scream. He wanted to bolt forward and run away with the Crown Prince to cry for help.

But…instead of the striking the boy as he’d expected would happen, Jeonghan pulled Chan into a suffocating embrace.

“Oh, Chan! I’m so happy you’re still so cute and tiny! What would I ever do if you grew too big for my cuddles?”

“Stop it! You’re embarrassing me!” 

The sinister aura around the Alpha had dissipated, and the only thing that remained was his unadulterated fondness for the Omega trying to escape his grip.

Finally, the Kwon prince felt his airway open and his body relax. 

He may as well be close to having a heart attack here in Firestorm Fortress.

“Chan!” Jeonghan chirped in a kittenish tone. “Channie…I have a question for you!”

“Please, not this again! Anything but this!” the boy bewailed, covering his face with his hands.

“Chan, whose baby are you?”

His muffled words were not hard to decipher. “No, you can’t make me say it!”

“ _Whose baby are you?_ ” the Alpha asked once more, squeezing the boy even tighter.

The Crown Prince relented with a heavy sigh and mumbled an almost inaudible, “Jeonghan’s baby…”

“Until when?”

After another annoyed pout, Chan looked away as his cheeks bloomed in blushing pink. “…until I’m thirty…”

Soonyoung chortled lightly at the heart-warming scene, but then something started nagging him in the back of his head. 

As he watched the Alpha release the Crown Prince from his bone-crushing embrace, a realization hit him hard - enough to make him feel nauseous. 

His eyes widened dramatically, and his mouth gaped in horror.

“You…you’re his father?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who loves Jeonghan? Because I do. I also love Seungcheol, Jisoo, Junhui, Soonyoung, Wonwoo, Jihoon, Minghao, Mingyu, Seokmin, Seungkwan, Hansol, and Chan!
> 
> Also, I was astounded by the number of people who commented on yesterday's update! I really want to say thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who reads this fic and gives kudos and posts comments. I will reply to all the comments once this gets posted. My heart is just filled with so much happiness! I'm hoping to do a double update one of these days. The next update though will be up on Friday. I have a lot to work on with the next chapter, especially since a special someone is about to make an appearance. And if you blink you might miss him! XD
> 
> I'm also very sorry for keeping the who's and what's are still shrouded in secrecy. Well, okay not complete secrecy. There's been hints throughout the chapters. I know some of you may have figured it out already, but not all the who's and what's have been revealed even in the strategically placed clues. Shout out to readers who've been reading the chapters again and again! I'm glad this is bringing enough enjoyment to your usual reading times. I promise we're about to get to the main course of the plot, and everything will be going to shit after that :D buuuuuut everything will be okay. I promise! 
> 
> Anyway, I hope this chapter was fun for you guys as it was fun for me to write! Leave a kudo or comment :) they're like cookies for my soul XDDDDDD


	8. Chapter 8

_Between the time when flowers bloom and scatter, scars heal and sprouts emerge. We live for this moment, the first and last. That's why I won't take you for granted, because you love somebody like me..._

_-Seventeen, Fallin' Flower (2020)_

Soonyoung warily backed away from Jeonghan, taking one trepidatious step at a time. His heart was sinking deep in terror, and the emotion was crippling glacially up his body until it was rigid and could no longer move. “A-Answer me… Are you his… Are you the C-Crown Prince’s f-father?” 

The Alpha’s eyes twinkled with a contemptible glimmer. “Yes…I am Chan’s father.”

Could this be _him_? The one Soonyoung had been dreading to meet all this time?

“Then…you’re…you’re the King of Gwangsan Kim?” the Kwon Omega dared to utter, clenching his fists tight against his robes. 

Jeonghan’s glowing smile steadily dissolved, and what had morphed in its place was something tenebrous and intense. His lips parted, and in the beat of a single breath, he spoke the words that made Soonyoung shudder uncontrollably. 

“I am...”

The Alpha was a skilled deceiver indeed. 

In an instant, the sonnet Soonyoung had admired - the words of devotion Jeonghan had uttered so ardently to Hong Jisoo - sounded like nothing but a cock and bull story. It was typical Alpha behavior. To string along a susceptible Omega, with passionate whispers and amorous promises so far from the truth - that was what their nature entailed, and rarely did they ever suffer from the consequences of their lies.

If he truly loved the Second Prince with all his heart, Jeonghan would have never sought other Omegas to become his concubines.

Maybe Soonyoung’s tutors in the Aster Province were right. Maybe love really was just a product of an Omega’s imagination.

What else had this Alpha lied to him about?

Was the whole story of Bulgae and his sacrifices fabricated as well?

The two of them were locked in a stand-still, eyes unblinking as they peered at each other with unvoiced tensity. They both waited for the other to take on the reigns of this exchange. Neither one of them would say anything after Jeonghan had finally revealed himself, and so they continued their vicious staring, until the Crown Prince could no longer take it anymore.

“Hyung, stop messing with Wangja-nim!” Chan interposed in vexation, his words cutting right through the agitation between the two adults like a sharp knife.

Just like that, the Alpha’s playful disposition returned at lightning speed, and he tittered while pointing out the consternation and confusion painted on Soonyoung’s face.

“Wangja-nim, you really need to lighten up a little!” Jeonghan imparted frivolously. 

The Omega of Andong Kwon was not having any of it. He was furious that he was being toyed with like this. He was so angry that he was close to kicking Jeonghan in the nether regions in revenge for despicable trifling. “Are you or are you not the King of Gwangsan Kim?!”

He was mad, and he was scared, but the prince needed to know for sure. 

“Okay, okay,” Jeonghan put his hands up in surrender, more aware of Soonyoung’s worsening disquietude than he let on. “It moves me that you've found an Alpha such as myself handsome enough for the prestige, but no…I am not the King of Gwangsan Kim. However, I am still this baby’s father. I birthed him from my own body and nurtured him myself all these years!”

That was not possible. Every person in the world knew that male Alphas were not capable of giving birth. How stupid did Jeonghan think Soonyoung was?!

Chan grumbled in irritation on the Kwon prince's behalf. “ _Jeonghan-hyung_ , can you please stop telling people that? Jisoo-hyung would be so upset if he heard you made a baby with someone else…even if your story _is_ preposterous and no one ever believes a word of it.”

The Alpha stretched an arm over Chan’s shoulders and pulled the Crown Prince closer to his body. His gleaming countenance was still vivacious, but the clarity of his orbs clouded over with the slightest darkening of affliction. Even if it were a joke, Jeonghan would never want Jisoo to hear such a horrible thing. “Fine, fine. You win, Channie. I guess we’ll just tell everyone that you're the Alpha king's child with a random Omega and not with me… I’ll have to renounce your title as my son in front of the entire kingdom. Oh, the people would be heartbroken!”

“Now you're just talking rubbish.” Chan rolled his eyes and cringed when Jeonghan began fake-crying right into his ear. 

“I…I guess this i-is what I get for co-parenting with a r-royal,” the Alpha wailed theatrically. “Kids are bound to f-favor one parent o-over the other…a-and of course, my b-baby ended up preferring a...aking over a c-commoner like me….”

The Crown Prince pursed his lips at Jeonghan's fake sniffling. “Okay, hyung, now you’re just guilt-tripping me!”

“Wait!” Soonyoung interjected pressingly, coming up close to the tragic thespian of an Alpha and his weary Omega charge. “So you’re not the king?”

“No, I am not the king. Forgive me, Wangja-nim," Jeonghan requested for his pardon, bowing slightly. "I just wanted to see what your reaction would be."

He was not the king…

Jeonghan was not the king...so that meant…

“You love Hong Jisoo…" Soonyoung said, respite bringing warmth to his cold body. "...you…you truly do love him?”

The Alpha tilted his head and looked at the Kwon Omega as if he'd uttered such a foolish question.

“With all my heart,” Jeonghan spoke with a subdued fervidness. “And it will always be him and _only him_ until the day I die…”

Soonyoung felt tears prick his eyes, but he held back every impulse to fall to his knees and cry. Not from sadness, but from the liberation of a repressed rhapsody that even he had not known was buried within him.

_Love existed._

_Love was not a illusion._

Chan drew close to him and reached out to cup Soonyoung’s face with both hands. The Omega's touch brought an almost instantaneous relief to his troubled soul, and he sighed in silent gratitude, closing his eyes as tranquility took over his senses. “Wangja-nim, would you like to join Jeonghan-hyung and I and visit Jisoo-hyung?”

“Yes…I would like that very much.”

_Love was real…_

_And he could have it too someday…_

* * *

A month had passed in the blink of an eye, and up until this point, Soonyoung could only thank the gods above for allowing him to keep his virtue for this long. For someone in enemy hands and without anyone to protect him, he was unimaginably lucky. 

He was almost convinced that he’d been taken here to act as a hostage more so than a whore. 

But then the clothes being given to him started getting even prettier than before, and he would return from dinner to more and more gifts being placed in front of his door. Minghao was being nicer to him than usual, if giving him a passing nod instead of blatantly ignoring his presence could attest to the recent change in his attitude.

However, no matter how well he was being treated, Soonyoung just couldn't let his guard down. Everything had felt off since he arrived at Firestorm Fortress. None of the horrible things he’d feared had happened, but instead of soothing his heart, the prince felt even more afraid of what was to come. 

The only grisly explanation his tumultuous mind could conjure for their actions…was that they were preparing him for something sinister...

Today, lunch had been an informal affair with Seungkwan. The sonorous Omega had led him out into the courtyard to eat in the middle of a massive staircase - the same one he had to climb to reach the palace many nights before. 

He’d brought with them a parcel filled with duck meat and pickled vegetables stuffed in buns, and while they ate, the two of them had a clear view of the wide and empty precinct. 

“This is where the soldiers usually train, but today, they’re hunting in the mountains. So I thought we could eat here and just enjoy the quiet. No prying eyes. No unwelcome ears. Just you and me…free to discuss _matters of the heart_ ,” Seungkwan explained, wiggling his brows suggestively. “All I can say is, _a certain someone_ is quite curious about your preferences.”

The prince fiddled with the bun in his hands, unable to take a second bite out of his food because of all the bleak thoughts pervading his mind and draining his soul.

Seungkwan, on the other hand, was thoroughly enjoying his light meal, and in between hearty chomps, he began complaining about the King of Gwangsan Kim and his behavior. If he were being completely honest, Soonyoung had stopped listening a long time ago. His musings were far too deep in his own troubles to really care about Seungkwan’s endless problems with the Alpha ruler of Firestorm Fortress. 

He just wanted to know if what he'd surmised was, in fact, their true intention.

Were they just waiting for him to go into _heat_?

Was the King of Gwangsan Kim waiting to strike when he was at his most vulnerable? So that he could bind the Prince of the Aster Province to him forever?

Soonyoung would rather know now than keep waiting until the anxiety ate up all his insides. 

“…and sometimes I question whether he truly is an Alpha. Sure, he can command an entire army and annihilate entire bloodlines in a single night, but can he initiate a simple conversation with a harmless Omega? No, he can’t. Because apparently, he is _physically incapable_ of performing such an easy task, and why you ask? Well, according to _His Majesty_ , his fragile heart becomes too tender whenever he sees y-”

“Seungkwan-ssi,” the prince interrupted, unable to hold back his distress any longer. “How was it like for you when you first came to this place?”

The loud Omega paused at his sudden question. “O-Oh well, it was difficult of course…the adjustment and…and everything that was expected of me. My body wasn’t used to so much physical exertion. I really didn’t want to do it, but how could I refuse? And because I was the only capable Omega here at the time, ugh - the King had been merciless. We were at it for hours upon hours. _Every. Single. Day._ I almost went crazy. It was definitely not pleasant, but it did get better. As time went by, there were less aches and pains when I woke up in the morning.”

Soonyoung winced, feeling quite sympathetic for his fellow Omega. “I’m sorry all this happened to you.”

Seungkwan shrugged. “It doesn’t bother me anymore. These days, I just blank out while it’s happening, and then I reward myself with tea cookies after.”

“How much longer do I have until…well…until the King…uhm…until he-”

“Makes you go through the same thing we did?” his contemporary helpfully supplied. “It was meant to happen sooner, but he’s quite concerned about your weight.”

He felt his chest tighten - the same way it always did whenever his parents commented on his eating habits or his tightening clothes. “Do I disgust him?”

Soonyoung did not care about being good enough for the Alpha King, but he hated how anywhere he went, someone always had something negative to say about his looks. 

The prince had always wondered how it would feel to be treated like a person with feelings and not a spectacle. In the Aster Province, people were always watching his every move. A single blemish on his skin or a fluctuation in his weight prompted savage gossip about him neglecting his appearance. An off-day where he couldn’t force himself to smile at every person in the palace meant he was hiding an awful personality that was soon to be exposed. He was always expected to look and act perfect because he was an Omega, and all eyes were always on him because he was a prince. Eventually, he’d gotten used to it, but at times, it still became too taxing on his emotional resilience.

It seemed that those same draconian expectations would still be forced upon him here. 

But at least in the Aster Province, he could call it _home_. There, he’d been surrounded by friends and thousands of calico asters.

Here, he had _no one_ , and he was nothing but _property_.

“What? O-Of course not! The Alpha king thinks so highly of you! He is just worried about your health.”

Soonyoung huffed waspishly. “Don’t defend him, Seungkwan-ssi. I know how Alphas see me. In fact, this is for the better. Tell him he should dispose of me as soon as possible and send me back to the Aster Province.”

“W-Wangja-nim, let’s not be too hasty! I promise His Majesty did not mean any offense!” the sonorous Omega practically screeched into his ear, bun falling out of his hands as he desperately took hold of Soonyoung’s forearms. “Wangja-nim, you hardly ever touch your meals, and when you do eat, you look like you’re going through _physical pain_. You’re even thinner than when you first got here!”

The prince groaned and looked away. 

“The Alpha King is scared- _I’m scared_ you will soon wither away into nothingness.”

“I won’t,” Soonyoung answered curtly. “Neither of you need to concern yourselves with how much I eat.”

Seungkwan’s frown deepened. “I accompanied you at every meal and ate the same meals to prove to you that none of the food we were serving was poisoned. From the moment you arrived, we never denied you any living necessity. Clothes, shoes, bathing water, a bed…a private room - there was nothing we would not provide for you. To top it all off, you were even allowed to do anything you desired during your leisurely hours. All we want is your trust, Wangja-nim. I know we didn’t give you much reason to in the beginning, but we really are doing our best to show you we mean no harm.”

The prince obstinately turned away, no longer willing to continue the conversation. 

If they truly meant no harm, Gwangsan Kim would have sent him home long ago. 

But they would not.

They wanted him to say, and they did not need tell him why.

He was a prisoner through and through - treated kindly but still trapped and solely at the mercy of his captors.

“How about we head to the market tomorrow?” Seungkwan methodically steered away from the previous topic. His tone remained smooth, and his voice was kept low. He did not even look the least bit angry at how he'd been spoken to. “You have not really explored the city. It would be a nice change of scenery, don’t you think?”

That really would be nice actually.

His fury subsided quickly, ashamed of how he practically blew up at the round-faced Omega. Even after he’d acted so horribly, Seungkwan was still being so patient with him.

Seungkwan was not the one at fault here - the prince had to remind himself that.

He was a victim just like Soonyoung.

“Forgive me, Seungkwan-ssi. I did not mean to be so infuriated with you.”

“I know you were not truly mad at me, Wangja-nim. You are hurting, and I can only do so much to ease your heart. Please don't feel bad." Seungkwan smiled at him gently and placed a comforting palm over his hand. "Come to the city with me tomorrow?”

“Of course.”

* * *

It was a mildly sunny day the next morning. 

After breakfast, Soonyoung and Seungkwan set out into town, but not before waiting for a soldier to accompany them.

They had just reached the colossal palace doors, when an Alpha came running towards them. Barely out of breath, his lips spread into a wide grin, and he greeted the two Omegas with a peculiar sort of gentility.

“Wow, I had no idea I’d be escorting _two princes_ to the market today!” the guard said to them rather informally, although his expression gave off no ounce of disrespect.

Even his appearance was foreign and unique. The Kwon Omega had never seen someone with such distinct features, and he couldn’t help but ponder on which distant land this Alpha had come from.

He wore the same nightshade robes as Minghao and Jeonghan, but on his vambraces were hydrangeas arbitrarily forged into the metal. The remarkable-looking Alpha carried a sword as well, sheathed and tucked into his waist belt, but compared to Xu Minghao, he did not emanate a threatening aura with the weapon in hand.

Seungkwan elbowed the soldier in the ribs, before coughing into his closed fist. “My apologies, Wangja-nim…this one here grew up knowing only how to speak his mind. We have yet to instill the art of brevity and mindfulness within him.”

The well-dressed Omega pointedly scowled at the Alpha, while the other palace dweller simply beamed at him in return. 

Soonyoung silently wondered if the two were in a discordance with each other behind closed doors. 

“It’s fine, Seungkwan-ssi,” the prince insisted, smiling at his Omega companion. “I took no offense at all. With the way you dress and present yourself so beautifully, anyone would think you’re a handsome prince!”

“See? What’d I tell ya?” the guard nudged at Seungkwan’s arm. 

The Prince of Andong Kwon chuckled when the flustered Omega looked away and fanned at himself. “Wangja-nim is much too generous with his kind words…”

He turned once more to the Alpha and glowered at him before huffing out and snobbishly upturning his nose, “Our job is to accompany Wangja-nim today, so please keep your shameless flirting to a minimum, _Hansol-ssi_.”

“Your wish is my command, _Seungkwan-ssi_ ,” the Alpha soldier - Hansol - sniggered in amusement. “Shall we?”

The Omega nodded and shepherded Soonyoung out the gates, as their chaperone followed closely behind them.

* * *

Unlike the narrow and unpaved streets of the Aster Province's city square, the marketplace in Firestorm Fortress had wide-open space and brick roads on leveled dirt. There were at least three long blocks worth of merchants, selling all kinds of perishable goods and handmade crafts. 

Every vendor had an organized and separate stall from other sellers, with enough room for customers to crowd around their products without accidentally hurting one another. Their surroundings were clean, and there were neither peddlers haggling counterfeit items nor beggars lying in ditches on the road.

Left and right, people were proudly showing off their wares and bargaining with their patrons. Despite the bustling environment, the public was not in a mad clamor to buy their daily necessities before others could. 

There was even a special segment of the street for a horde of small children to sell their homemade sweets and trinkets, all the while being supervised by Betas and Omegas who seemed more than happy to be there with them. 

It was exciting to see such order and liveliness come together this way. 

“Wangja-nim,” Seungkwan called out to him as he opened up a drawstring pouch. “Here, take this money and buy whatever you want.”

A good handful of silver and gold coins were placed into his palm - more than enough to buy a year’s worth of food. Soonyoung gasped and immediately attempted to hand all of it back. “Seungkwan-ssi, I cannot take all your money!”

But the well-dressed Omega would not allow him to return a single coin. “It’s not mine, Wangja-nim. I was only instructed to give this all to you.”

“Then…whose money is this?”

“It’s yours now.” Seungkwan blatantly ignored his protests and focused his attention entirely on a stand selling skewered chicken and fish cakes. “Oh, look at that! Hansol, come eat some snacks with me!”

The Alpha trotted up to the Omega and fished out his own bag of money to pay for whatever Seungkwan was ordering.

Soonyoung sighed and reluctantly shoved the money into his red silk pouch - another gift he’d received just days before.

He did not stray far from where Seungkwan and Hansol stood, but the prince did carefully examine the pristine streets and the paths they led to. 

The black gates, from which he’d first entered the city a month ago, were at an outlying distance but still visible to his narrow eyes. 

His heart was struck by malaise, and hankering thoughts formed inside his turbulent mind. 

If he made a run for it now, would he manage an escape? 

It was tempting, so tempting that his feet itched to break into a sprint.

But how would he open the sealed entryway?

Perhaps he could bribe the Alpha guards with the money he had now to unlock the gates for him?

Dare he try? 

He eyed his Alpha and Omega escorts, happily conversing and munching on their snacks...paying no regard to the prince and having no idea what he was about to do.

The Kwon Omega slowly distanced himself from the two, making no sudden movements so as not to draw their unwanted attentions, and once they were out of his line of sight, he weaved through the oncoming people and swerved into an alley. 

Soonyoung switched from one side street onto another, until he could no longer hear the blaring transactions coming from the marketplace. 

He had time. With only two people searching for him, it would take them a very long time to trace his footsteps. But Hansol would most likely run back to the palace and inform the other guards of his disappearance, so if Soonyoung wanted to flee the city, he had to do it at this very moment.

The Omega prince spotted a particularly empty passage next to a river walkway. No one else was there besides a single vendor sitting against a wall, his merchandise laid out atop a tattered cloth on the floor. 

He dashed across the gravel head on, until he turned to look at the vendor and felt the need to promptly stop right in his tracks. 

It was an old man, sickly and weak, wrapped in a bedraggled clothes that should have been thrown out years ago. He had no shoes on, and the exposed skin on his face, hands, and feet were all covered in grime.

“W-Would you like…to…buy a ring, y-young…young master?” he struggled to speak, and Soonyoung’s chest tightened in agony.

How long had the man been waiting for people to walk by and spare him a glance?

The younger merchants had probably bullied him out of the marketplace, and in his aged state, the old man would not have been able to defend his stall from being taken over.

Soonyoung longingly looked up at the black gates, just minutes away from his reach, before resolving to get on his knees and pull his money pouch out of his waist band.

“Haraboji, you have so many lovely rings,” he stated delicately, eyes flitting over the rusty gold jewelry and discolored jade bands in sadness.

The prince picked the ugliest out of the bunch - tarnished and well-past its former brilliance - and handed the vendor his entire red silk pouch, before absently placing the ring he chose on his left index finger.

“I hope this is enough, sir.”

With shaky hands, the man released the drawstrings and squinted at the money inside. “Y-Young master…you’ve given me…this…this is not r-right…”

While the man had been trying to open the small bag, Soonyoung had taken the opportunity to run to the river and collect water in the old man’s empty gourd. 

He ran back and placed it next to the elderly man and then proceeded to take his shoes off. “Oh, haraboji, is my payment not enough? Here, please take these shoes as compensation.”

After fitting the shoes under the vendor’s feet, the Omega prince untied his outer robe and placed it on top of the man’s emaciated form. “I don’t have any more money left, so please forgive this poor Omega.”

What else could Soonyoung give him? 

He could run back to the market and ask Seungkwan for more money to buy him food.

Did the old man have a family to go home too? Or did he just spend his days out here alone - abandoned by his loved ones and vulnerable to thieves and people with less than righteous intentions?

He had to find Seungkwan and Hansol - all thoughts he had of leaving the city swiftly dissipating from his mind.

“I will be right back, haraboji! I swear on my own life I will!” 

The prince stood up and started running barefoot back the way he came from, but then his limbs slowed down to a halt, and without his own knowledge, Soonyoung's mind became completely devoid of any mental processes. 

Behind him, the old man facilely erected himself onto his two feet. As he approached the Omega frozen in place, his outward appearance metamorphosed into a youthful looking man - wrinkle-free and well-groomed, lavishly dressed in golden robes covered in intricate depictions of Bergamot flowers. 

“I was so happy when I made you. I knew you would grow up so beautifully, but I never thought you would become this sublime…”

He maundered around to come face-to-face with the Omega and mirthfully examined Soonyoung’s glazed over eyes. The man tenderly brought a hand up to caress the prince’s soft cheek, gazing at him as parent would to their favorite child. 

Although he knew the prince could not hear him, the transformed male still spoke with fondness as he relayed his exhortations.

“Kwon Soonyoung, there will be many tribulations coming your way…but I know in my heart that you will triumph over every single one of them…”

He reached for the prince’s hand and lifted it up to place a kiss on his uncovered wrist. 

“Please do not hate me for allowing awful things to happen to you… I wish I could hinder pain and grief from befalling you, but these things must happen for you to bloom and grow into the person you were meant to be…”

The sightly man’s gold-colored orbs glistened with tears, but still, he smiled at Soonyoung and squeezed his hand tight.

“I know this is too much to ask, but please…please take care of my precious Bulgae. That willful child needs someone like you to keep his heart safe…show each other love and understanding while you can…and…when the time comes that you must part ways, please let him down as gently as possible…”

Before bidding the Omega farewell, he pressed a kiss onto the prince’s forehead and whispered an ancient incantation into his ear. 

“See you again soon, my child…”

* * *

“Wangja-nim!!!”

Soonyoung blinked and found himself standing in the middle of the marketplace. A frazzled Seungkwan came barreling through the crowd, repeatedly calling out his name. He could spot Hansol a bit further away, but the Alpha was quickly catching up to their Omega companion.

“Oh, thank goodness! Wangja-nim, where did you go?! We thought you’d been abducted!”

_Well, you can’t kidnap someone who’s already a captive_ , the prince cheekily wanted to say, but seeing the round-faced Omega so close to a mental breakdown made him hold his tongue.

He inspected the prince for any injuries, and to his horror, Soonyoung was missing certain articles of clothing. “What happened to your shoes?! Where is your outer robe?!”

The Kwon Omega observed himself and wondered as well where his garments had vanished to. 

“I’m sorry, Seungkwan-ssi…I…I don’t remember…”

From what he could recall, he’d been watching Seungkwan and Hansol eat from afar. Then, he started exploring, and a faceless vendor selling rings caught his attention.

Wait.

Rings?

Soonyoung looked down at his left hand and discovered a white jade band with golden calico aster engravings wrapped around his index finger. 

When had he bought this?

It was not like him at all to impulsively purchase jewelry this extravagant. The money would have been better spent on donations to the poor and struggling orphanages.

_Strange_ , he quietly thought to himself.

Hansol managed to buy a shawl to cover him with, and both the Alpha and Omega immediately began ushering the prince back to the palace and fussing over him the entire way.

“Wangja-nim, did you get hurt?!” the guard inquired with obvious distraught.

“Did someone try to rob you?” Seungkwan asked right after Hansol.

They hounded him with questions, giving him only a second or two to answer.

By the time they crossed over the threshold of the palace entrance, the two had calmed down enough to finally let him breathe out an assurance that he was fine.

Still, Seungkwan had not fallen short of words to bemoan and wail about. “Oh, Wangja-nim, you have no idea what would have happened if we couldn’t find you!”

The prince swallowed uneasily at that thought, as he was once again reminded that his careless actions could badly affect those around him. 

“Please don’t ever do that to us again,” the Omega supplicated gravely. “And please do not let anyone know we’d almost totally lost you! The king might do away with the both of us if he ever finds out!”

“Yeah, and then Seungkwan and I can’t have kids if we’re dead-”

Seungkwan sharply inhaled at the Alpha’s insinuation and smacked him on the shoulder. “Chwe Hansol!!!”

The guard rubbed at his sore deltoid and groaned, “Apologies, Wangja-nim…I meant _Seungkwan-ssi_ and I can’t have kids if we’re dead…” 

“That’s it!” the sonorous Omega cried out. “We are separating once all this is over!”

Hansol hollered at Seungkwan’s statement and trailed him as he shuffled away in ignominy, leaving Soonyoung bewildered and all alone next to his room. “Okay, we can separate, then have another wedding ceremony like you always wanted.”

“You’re insufferable! Why did I ever agree to marry you?!”

“I don’t know either. Maybe you’re partially blind? Should we have Jihoon-hyung check to know for sure?”

As they turned the corner to an adjacent hall and their voices faded away, Soonyoung bit his lip and placed a hand over his chest, overcome with an aching and deep sorrow from what he’d just learned.

If the two were indeed married, there was no doubt in the prince’s mind that they were both suffering. After all, given their current situation, Boo Seungkwan belonged to the king more so than to his own husband, and Chwe Hansol had to live with the fact that his Omega would have to bear the children of another Alpha someday…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TT^TT wow I got kind of sad writing that final paragraph. Please forgive me!!!!!
> 
> I am still quite overwhelmed with the positive responses to this fic. Thank you to everyone who's been sharing their love for this fic in the comments and on twitter!!!! Every kudo, comment, subscription, and chance given to my other fics are very very very much appreciated! I will respond to comments after I post this chapter! This is probably one of my favorites so far, especially the part where Soonyoung was helping the old man. We also got a bit more VerKwan in here, and hopefully in the next chapter I can squeeze in more JeongShua and maybe even some WonChan and JiCheol if possible. 
> 
> You guys are all marvelously insightful, and I absolutely love reading all your comments <3333333 they just uplift my mood and warm my soul :) 
> 
> Next update will come next week. Have a good weekend everyone! 
> 
> PS. It's times like these where you truly find out what kind of person certain people are, and it's just horrible that there are some individuals who frankly don't give a shit about us. But even then, please be kind to others, and please please please stay safe. Karma will deal with those who have no human compassion.


	9. Chapter 9

_Between the time when flowers bloom and scatter, scars heal and sprouts emerge. We live for this moment, the first and last. That's why I won't take you for granted, because you love somebody like me..._

_-Seventeen, Fallin' Flower (2020)_

It was one of those rare days where Soonyoung managed to find Mingyu outside the cookhouse and dining area. 

The Omega prince had been on his way to the library when he’d spotted the Alpha tending to the Firestorm Garden. The cook was easy enough to recognize from afar given his formidable stature and perpetually underdressed state, and even from a distance, Mingyu’s sun-kissed skin and dark hair seemed to catch the light ethereally and conspicuously. 

He was barefoot in an empty patch of soil, right next to white and orange plots of firestorms, and with his back bowed forward, he was planting seeds into the loam.

Soonyoung approached the Alpha with much keenness. “Mingyu-ssi, I didn’t know you were in charge of the gardens as well!”

Mingyu looked up and stumbled backward in surprise, the seeds in his hands spilling everywhere. “W-Wangja-nim!!!” 

He gaped and hurriedly reached over to pull the cook up. “Mingyu-ssi, I’m so sorry! I did not mean to scare you!”

At a closer look, Soonyoung could see the Alpha’s soil besmirched robes and face, and in his embarrassment, Mingyu avoided the prince’s outstretched hand and shuffled onto his own feet by himself. 

“Wangja-nim, please don’t come any closer,” the cook stated as he stepped further away from Soonyoung. “You must not allow me to dirty your clothes.”

“Oh, uhm…yes…” the Omega recoiled, smile faltering as he enjoined his hands behind his back. “I wouldn’t want to trouble the laundress with extra work.”

He looked down at the mess he’d caused and crouched down to pick up the spilled seeds that had toppled onto the cobblestone path. 

“Ah, Wangja-nim, let me clean this up!” the Alpha beseeched, falling onto his own knees to quickly collect everything before the prince could.

The Omega’s words of dissent were ready to leap from his mouth, but they died on his tongue when he realized exactly what type of seeds he was retrieving from the ground.

“Mingyu-ssi…these are calico aster seeds…”

The Alpha did not say anything, and his gaze would not leave the ruined seeds and soil beneath him. 

Soonyoung, on the other hand, couldn’t help but peer straight at the cook, taking in all of Mingyu’s features more solicitously underneath the sun’s natural rays. He’d long admitted to himself that the Alphas and Omegas in Firestorm Fortress were all well above average in terms of looks. It was astonishing how so many handsome men from different clans had accumulated in one single place, and although the prince could appreciate the visual treat of seeing such fine specimens everyday, no one had the same level of impact on him as Mingyu did.

For some unexplainable reason, the Alpha’s appearance had brightened exponentially in a matter of seconds - to the point where all his eyes could process was how seraphic and otherworldly Mingyu looked.

Had he always been this opulent?

Or was it because he’d discovered the Alpha taking precious time out of his own work schedule to plant his favorite flower in the garden? And that fact had somehow made him so much more alluring than usual?

Because the flowers had to be for Soonyoung. As far as he knew, no one else in the palace was from the Aster Province.

His cheeks brimmed with incredible warmth. Something dull snagged inside his chest - just a bit uncomfortable, enough to make his breath hitch, but not all painful. There was a strange sensation of fluttering butterfly wings in the pit of his stomach, and if that wasn’t alarming enough, his heart was now somehow skipping beats and quickening its pace at the same time.

Was his body succumbing to a seasonal ailment? 

That had to be the only logical and _acceptable_ explanation as to why he was suddenly feeling so funny.

“I…I think I’m going to be sick…” he thoughtlessly uttered. 

Only then had Mingyu’s gaze lifted to stare at him in panic. “Wa…Wangja-nim…did I…offend you?”

“Huh?” he croaked out unattractively, his orbs unwilling to stray from the handsome Alpha in front of him. 

With very little space in between them, Soonyoung was free to perceive and admire the tiniest details on Mingyu’s face - the mole on his left cheek, the faint horizontal scar under his right eye, and the light mottles scattered over his nose bridge and cheeks. Every blemish was fascinating and undoubtedly complimented the Alpha’s appearance in every way possible.

“Wangja-nim, please forgive me! I wanted to surprise you in the spring with flowers from your homeland! I did not mean to upset you... I know...I know that certain clans are very protective and specific with the way their flowers are grown. I swear upon my own life, there was not a single intent within my mind or heart to disrespect you and your calico asters…” 

Wow.

That probably had to be the most Mingyu has ever said to him.

The prince blinked repeatedly as his mind tried to absorb everything the cook had uttered. “What made you think I was upset?” 

The cook gloomily lowered his head. “You…you said my ill-considered actions… _sickened_ you…”

Soonyoung shot up to his feet and almost lost his balance from how swiftly he’d risen. “No! No, it wasn’t because of that!” 

He couldn’t tell Mingyu that his incredibly sweet and moving gesture had made Soonyoung feel… _unlike himself_. It would be too straightforward and inappropriate, and he would never want this Alpha, of all people, to think lowly of him. “It was uhh…it was because of breakfast…”

The Omega only realized that his response had only made things worse when the cook’s expression went from sad to disheartened.

“Wait, no! I mean- it’s not because of breakfast either…The stew you cooked for me was absolutely delicious… It was just…uhm…I…I just…”

“Wangja-nim?” the Alpha spoke as he got up to his feet, waiting expectantly and despondently for Soonyoung to reveal what exactly had caused his affliction.

He pointed up at the position of the sun in the sky. “Would you look at the time…I must go! I have a meeting…with…with the king!”

“ _The king?_ ” Mingyu asked skeptically with his furrowed brows.

Why did Soonyoung have to say the king? 

Of course, a person who’s been living in the palace longer than he has would see right through his idiotic lie.

Screw pottery making lessons. His tutors in the Aster Province should have taught him how to _not_ make a complete fool of himself.

“Did I say the king? Ah, silly me! I meant to say Jeongha-”

The Alpha’s jaw tensed visibly, and the prince choked before he could finish saying the Alpha guard's name.

He cleared his throat into his sleeve as nonchalantly as possible. “Do forgive me. What I had meant to say was Junhu-”

Mingyu’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits.

Definitely not Junhui. 

“Uhm, wait no. Sorry, I actually meant to say Ji…Jihoon…Jihoon-ssi…you know Jihoon-ssi, right?”

After a good five seconds of silence, the cook’s heated gaze subsided, and he finally muttered a strained, “I do…”

Soonyoung laughed with cringingly forced exaggeration, slipping away towards the cloister garth as if he could be sly about it. “Well, I shall head to…where he is then…”

Before he made it onto the halls, Mingyu’s loud and reverberating voice caused him to halt immediately. “Wangja-nim, Jihoon-hyung is with Jisoo-hyung right now.”

“Oh, right! Right, I was supposed to meet up with both Lee Jihoon-ssi and Hong Jisoo-ssi’s…there…in his room. Yes. Thanks for reminding me, Mingyu-ssi!”

Mingyu nodded without returning any more words, but it was obvious that he’d been peeved by something the Omega had said.

He was probably annoyed because Soonyoung had interrupted his work and left a mess for him to clean up. So the prince promised to himself that he would make it up to the cook, one way or another - sooner rather than later, before fleeing into The Second Prince’s hidden quarters.

* * *

His unannounced presence had been taken a lot better than he thought it would.

Jisoo was just about finished with his daily check up and was practically beaming with joy when Soonyoung arrived. Having two visitors come see him this morning brought such an unspeakable happiness to his eyes that the Kwon prince couldn't help but share that same merriment.

Jihoon, however, had frowned at Soonyoung’s sudden interruption, but he said nothing to shoo the Omega from the Aster Province away. 

“Remember, two drops of Lisianthus oil under the tongue before you sleep,” the physician instructed the Second Prince. “If you still cannot fall asleep after that, let me know right away, and we’ll try something else.”

“Jisoo-ssi is having trouble sleeping?” Soonyoung interjected, to which Jisoo chortled and smiled in good humor.

“Just a little bit. It’s really nothing to fuss over.”

“But hyung…Jeonghan-hyung told me you haven’t slept in _three days_ ,” Jihoon disclosed dolefully.

“I’m fine, Jihoonie. I’ve just been quite enthusiastic with my gayageum lately. It’s been helping me so much that I can’t help but play it all day and all night!”

“It pleases me to know that it’s been giving you a source of release, but, hyung, your body need to rest…”

“I am sure I will burn through my excitement soon. Please don’t worry too much. I am alright, Jihoonie. I promise I am.”

If someone had told him that the Second Prince hadn’t slept in three days, Soonyoung would’ve never believed them. Hong Jisoo was radiating in absolute glee, and no dark shadows plagued the delicate skin beneath his glistening orbs. This was not how someone with a lack of sleep typically looked.

“Could it be…?” Soonyoung muttered solemnly. 

The royal physician turned to him in curiosity. “What is it, Wangja-nim?” he asked. 

“I’ve read about this condition before…” Soonyoung shared. “There are written records in the Aster Province of such a malady where the inability to sleep is one of its major symptoms.”

Jihoon raised his brows. “Is that so?”

“It could only be one thing, Jihoon-ssi…and if I am right, then there is no hope for the Second Prince to get better. It is a lost cause that neither your brilliant mind nor your medicines can alleviate.”

“That sounds quite serious,” Jisoo remarked, still smiling and unaffected by Soonyoung’s words.

The shortest Omega of the three glared at the Second Prince. “You say that, but you do not seem to be taking this seriously at all.”

“Jihoon-ssi,” the Kwon prince said urgently to regain the doctor’s attention. “You must know this…Hong Jisoo, the Second Prince of Namyang Hong…He is _in love_ , and there is no cure for it!”

A painful silence engulfed them.

Jisoo's eyes were wide open, and his lips were pressed tight to stifle a grin.

Soonyoung was wondering why no one was saying anything about his well thought out opinion. Even though he was no professional in the art of healing, he was so sure what he’d read and just told them would be of great help to Jihoon. 

But instead, the doctor leered indignantly at Soonyoung, before getting up and hauling his medical kit away from the two princes. “I’m leaving…”

The Second Prince unleashed all his pent-up laughter, clutching his stomach as he leaned his head against the Kwon Omega’s shoulder. “Oh, Soonyoung-ssi. You’re such a delight to be around!”

“Jihoon-ssi, please don’t go! We still have so much to discuss!” Soonyoung honestly did not know what he’d said to make the small Omega mad at him. It was not even lunch time yet, and he already unintentionally made two people angry. 

He really needed to start pondering upon his use of words more carefully.

After crossing the threshold, Jihoon poked his head into the door space and shouted, “I know nothing about love! Leave me out of your nonsense!”, before sliding it close with more force than necessary. 

Soonyoung sulked and curled into himself, drawing his knees close against his chest and enclosing his arms around his folded legs. “But…but I was only trying to help…”

“Don’t worry about, Jihoonie. He still has a lot of his own romantic issues to deal with.”

“Really? He has his own Alpha he wishes to be with?”

The Kwon prince had a vague memory about Jihoon and his lover's possible identity, but no matter how hard he concentrated, the Alpha's face and name evaded him.

Jisoo nodded, gently smoothing out Soonyoung's hair. “He is very much in love with that Alpha of his…but he would not admit it to anyone, not even to himself, that he harbors such feelings.”

“O-Oh…does the Alpha not want him?”

“I believe the Alpha is irrefutably enamored with him, but he is also aware that Jihoon does not wish to ever mate with anyone.”

“Why won’t he?”

Soonyoung felt like the reader of a tragic romance novel. He’d always been told that Alphas were not capable of true love in the real world, but here was Jeonghan and Jisoo, Seungkwan and Hansol. Now he’d just found out that Jihoon had an Alpha who loved him as well but refused to allow that rare love to blossom between them, and this did not make sense at all to the Kwon prince.

“It is quite a long story...and it would be best for Jihoon to share it with you himself someday.”

“I just don’t understand…I was- If I had…I…I just wish I had someone who-” Soonyoung paused, wincing and sealing his lips before he voiced out any embarrassing revelations. 

A dastardly smile planted itself on Jisoo's beguiling face. It was almost frightening to look at. “Hm?”

“Well, it’s just…" He knew the Second Prince of Naming Hong could be trusted, but still, he had to go about his words cautiously. The Kwon Omega was sure things would go horribly if he implicated himself in any way. "May I ask you a question, Jisoo-ssi?”

“Of course you can, Wangja-nim.”

With a deep breath, he blurted out, “How do you know if you’re developing… _favorable feelings_ for someone?”

Jisoo's smile curled up even higher with his sly expression, and Soonyoung immediately regretted opening his big mouth.

“Favorable feelings, you say…"

The Kwon prince wasn't sure what sound came from his wretched throat, but it did sound pretty close to a whimper. "Perhaps this is not the proper day to ask such things..." 

"I'm sorry. I'll stop teasing," Jisoo said after more chuckling and patting on Soonyoung's head. "I can only speak based on my personal experience. Everyone goes through phases of attraction differently. But…if there is someone you constantly think about and you long to see their face each time you wake up, that could be a good indicator to find out if there is more to your feelings. Attraction and infatuation are quite fickle things, so be careful before you act. Love is a lot more serious than that. Love will take hold of your entire world, and the future you see can never be complete without this person by your side.”

Like his Alpha lover, the Second Prince of Namyang Hong had a way with his words. They were consuming and amatory and weaved so intimately that there was so little room to doubt his affections. Soonyoung felt winded just hearing him say all that.

“Is there someone in Firestorm Fortress who has caught your attention?” Jisoo continued.

“What?!" The Kwon prince was immediately disconcerted. "No! No, not at all, Jisoo-ssi! I was just uhh...curious! I was curious! That’s all…”

The regal Omega nodded patiently, smile soft and full of discernment. “Then…when the time comes that you find someone here who interests you, do not be afraid of expressing your sincerest feelings for them.”

_Do not be afraid…_

How could Soonyoung _not be afraid_ when there was too much to fear?

He wanted love. He desperately longed for it.

But…

How could he love in a place like this?

Who would even want him after his body has been used up by another Alpha?

Who would love him after that?

“… _Mingyu._ ”

The Kwon Omega snapped out of his reverie, eyes darting from corner to corner - expecting to find the cook somewhere within Jisoo’s hidden boudoir. 

“Oh, he’s not here, Wangja-nim,” the Second Prince said, tittering giddily. “I just said it would be nice to receive a visit from Mingyu…he hasn’t stopped by this week.”

Soonyoung turned his reddened face away, desperately avoiding Jisoo’s knowing grin. “I will be sure to let him know, Jisoo-ssi...”

Did Hong Jisoo know?

No, he couldn’t possibly.

* * *

“Seungkwan won’t be available to escort you this week."

His morning was starting just like any other, but today, his jovial Omega companion had decided to leave him in the cruel hands of no other than Xu Minghao. Soon young groggily sat up in his bed, squinting his eyes to adjust to the brightness inside his room.

“Is he busy with the king again?”

“No…” Minghao responded blandly before making a weird face at the Omega prince’s insinuation. “He’s in heat.”

Oh.

Then that would explain why he was out of commission for an entire week.

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

He’d only meant to bring Seungkwan sustenance or fresh robes when needed, but Minghao seemed to get the wrong idea about what he’d said.

“You’re kidding, right?" the willowy Omega groused as he gawked at the prince. "Unless you want to provoke _two_ Alphas, don’t repeat that ever again.”

_Two Alphas?_

Right. 

Chwe Hansol and the King of Gwangsan Kim would tear his neck out if he approached Boo Seungkwan in such a state.

After all, Seungkwan was the king’s favorite Omega.

“So…Seungkwan-ssi will be alright?”

Minghao crossed his arms over his chest, eyes skimming over the corner of the room stacked with numerous gifts. “Why wouldn’t he be? Between the three of us, he’s the one who’s married to an Alpha. So he’ll be perfectly fine. When are _you_ due for your next heat?”

The sudden question made Soonyoung gulp in uneasiness. He was certain Minghao was not going to be happy with what he was about to say. “Uhm…ne-next month, I think? I’m not exactly sure…”

As he’d foreseen, the willowy Omega’s constantly displeased expression morphed into an aggravated snarl.

“Do you not track your own heat cycles?!”

“I…I don’t,” the prince admitted cravenly. “It just happens when it does.”

His honesty only incited Minghao’s vexation towards him. “Hmph! Of course spoiled princes like you would not need to worry about these things.”

Their acquaintanceship had been coming along so well, but Soonyoung just had to cause another rift in the seismic hole that was already between him and Minghao.

Why was he always messing up?

“Minghao-ssi, I am so sorry for being an irresponsible prince.”

Really, the only thing he could do was apologize. Soonyoung did not want to get into a heated debate with Minghao, even if the armed Omega loved instigating them with his petty remarks and rude comments. 

“You better figure it out soon, because no one is going to take care of you here if that’s what you’re expecting. There are many mated Alphas posted in the palace, so if you go into heat while walking around, think about all the Omegas and the relationships you’ll be disrespecting.”

Soonyoung sighed in frustration but did nothing further to try and defend himself. “You’re right, Minghao-ssi. I will try to retrace my past heats, and give you a proper timeframe before it arrives.”

That last sentence had momentarily appeased Xu Minghao, and the prince had to give a silent prayer of thanks to the gods for sparing him from the Omega's wrath.

Finally the subject was stirred into a different direction.

“Hurry up, and do whatever you need to before breakfast,” the willowy Omega dictated, tapping his foot against the floor impatiently. “We need to finish eating quickly and help wrangle the pups wreaking havoc outside.”

The prince was already in the process of brushing out his hair, when the task for the day had piqued his curiosity and made him turn around in confusion.

“Pups?”

“You’ve seen the fire hounds, haven’t you?” Minghao grumbled. “Their little ones are usually kept in a playpen near the meadows, but Junhui accidentally let them escape this morning, and he can’t catch them all by himself. Those tiny beasts haven’t been trained, so we need to collect them before they destroy the entire training field.”

The situation sounded quite grievous, but what harm could a few small puppies bring? Surely, the most they could do was gnaw on a few wooden fighting dummies and chase a couple of chickens. But if this was something that worried Xu Minghao, then Soonyoung was more than willing to take it seriously. 

So he insisted they skip the morning meal and head out right away, but Minghao forced him into the dining room and made him finish his entire bowl of abalone porridge. According to the armed Omega, it was _the least Soonyoung could do_ , and Minghao had stressed that a good few times on the way there and while the prince was shoving spoonful after spoonful of rice into his mouth.

The prince understood with full clarity what he’d meant by that. As Seungkwan had brought up in the past, he was wasting resources and denying his body the proper nutrients it needed to become a better version of himself. The least he could do was finish his meals now and do twice the labor to make up for his imprudence.

And if the king or any other person had to anything else to say about his weight after, he could always deflect the problem onto themselves. They all wanted him to eat more, so if his body became heavier and his clothes fit tighter, the fault was not his to agonize over.

With a heavy stomach, he followed Minghao to the back of the palace and exited the small gates that led to the meadows. 

There was a vastness of green that stretched for miles, and right at the base of the mountain, he could see Junhui running after one of the beasts.

But the pup did not look like a small hound at all. It was up to Junhui’s waist standing on all fours, and the Alpha was already a very tall person to begin with. It was not surprising though, since their fire hound parents were all gigantic and could most definitely swallow an Alpha soldier whole.

Once Junhui had wrestled the dog onto the ground and secured it in his arms, he spotted the two Omegas and came up to them.

“I already got four of them! Only thirteen more to go!”

“It took you this long to catch _only four_?”

“Hao Hao, these cute little devils are faster than they look! I can’t keep up with them.” He lifted up the pup in his arms and shoved it closer to Minghao’s face, but the point he wanted to come across was not about how fast they were. “You see? See how cute they are?”

The willowy Omega softly pushed at the puppy’s snout before it could lick him. All the while, his glare would not leave the Alpha. “Then start running faster. You know what will happen if His Majesty finds out you let them loose, even if it was just an accident.”

“It’s going to be fine, Hao Hao. You worry too much!” Junhui turned to the prince and grinned. “Wangja-nim, thanks for coming out to help. I will put this one back in the pen and rejoin you shortly.”

Soonyoung smiled back, but before he could say anything to the friendly Alpha, Minghao started leering at him until he began moving farther into the meadows. “Hurry up! We don’t have all day!”

He was well-aware of the limited time they had to search, and even he himself did not wish to be out here until sunset.

“Minghao-ssi, how far should we look?”

“Don’t go up the mountains or past the tree lines. Those dogs won’t stray too far from their source of food, and despite their sizes, they’re still a bunch of scared little babies. They don’t know they can turn into raging balls of fire yet, so be gentle with them. You don’t want to scare them and burn to death.”

One of the pups came into view. It rolled around in the grass just meters from where Soonyoung was standing. To think that at any given moment, the puppy could explode into a fiery inferno made shivers run down his spine.

“Uhh, Minghao-ssi, s-shouldn’t someone more…well-acquainted with the hounds be rounding them up then?”

His Omega contemporary was already walking away and waving flippantly at his concerns. “You'll be fine, Wangja-nim. If you die...you die."

He wanted to run after Minghao, but something tugged at the end of his robes. 

The pup that had been meters away was now chewing through the material of his clothes and prodding at the fabric until it ripped.

Soonyoung freed himself from the puppy’s jaws, and the small dog whined when he moved away. As if apologetic, it looked up at him with wide, teary eyes, coming closer to nudge at his hand.

The prince hesitantly rubbed his nails against the pup’s head, and in return, it started panting and wagging its tail in delight from his touch. He attempted to pick up the dog as Junhui had, but Soonyoung lacked the strength to completely carry it in his arms. So he had to haul the pup up with its front legs, moving while the hind legs were dragging on the ground. 

It took him almost twenty minutes to drag the pup into its playpen - where its brothers and sisters were round-housing and having the time of their lives, while Soonyoung was struggling to heave the heavy pup over the fence.

By the time he’d successfully reunited the pup with his siblings inside the pen, the prince’s muscles were already hurting from the strain. But because Minghao and Junhui were still hard at work chasing the remaining pups, Soonyoung set out into the meadow again.

The first pup he’d caught had been out of sheer luck. The second pup was so much harder to handle. This one had fought him the entire way back to the playpen, causing Soonyoung to sweat through his robes and his hair to go left and right in disarray. 

It was already past lunch when they finally managed to seize the last two. Soonyoung was out breath and ready to collapse after getting his third pup over the fence, only seconds before Minghao placed his captured pup in the pen with incredible ease.

“You seriously have no muscle strength, do you?” 

The prince was breathing in and out heavily, attempting to catch his breath and not feel like he was going to faint. He was just grateful that none of the puppies had burst into a fire as he'd feared. “No…I don’t believe so..."

“Okay, that’s all of them,” Junhui announced after carefully counting all the puppies. “Shall we go to lunch?”

Minghao nodded before turning to the prince. “Let’s go back inside, Wangja-nim.”

Soonyoung cringed at the thought of having to walk all the way back right now. “I’m still...quite full from breakfast. Do you think...I can stay out here for a bit and...enjoy the fresh air?”

“No,” the willowy Omega answered firmly.

But after a pat on the shoulder from Junhui and a whisper in his ear, Minghao was quick to relent. “Fine. But not more than an hour.”

“Yes...of course. I will be...back in the palace...before the hour is up.”

He watched as the Alpha and Omega pair sauntered away, settling against one of the cherry blossom trees that still had its flowers.

The branches and leaves created a shadow over him as a shield against the midday sun, and from where he sat, the prince could see the bright blue sky contrast against mesmerizing miles of greenery. 

Soonyoung would have loved to appreciate the scene more if he weren’t so tired. He had never been one to take afternoon naps, but just this once, he allowed himself the repose.

* * *

The last few remnants of his consciousness had already wilted away when the blinding haze finally cleared.

He was kneeling in on barren ground, wearing only black under-robes covered in dust and dirt, but in this place, he did not feel naked.

Because all around him, there was nothingness…and there was no one to ridicule him for his bareness…

Serenity was his only companion, and up above, there was a wondrous sky like nothing he'd ever seen before.

But unlike the endless blue of the dreary earth, in this realm, the skies were made of beautiful flowers. The abundant blossoms encircled the sun, and the light that flowed down casted blue and gold against the fine white sand.

Soonyoung smiled as he admired the white, pink, and lavender flowers swathed in their vibrant green stems and leaves. 

He stood up to peer at the petals more closely, and that’s when he heard the clattering of a shackle enclosed around his ankle. 

His smile slipped away.

The chain was buried in the hanging garden, and no matter how hard he pulled it would not grant him deliverance. 

What was he doing in this strange place?

Why had he been brought here?

He knew that this was all a product of his overactive imagination, but why was he still a trapped creature even within his own dreams?

When would he ever be _free_? 

Then, Soonyoung saw _him_ \- a figure in the thin fog, his broad back facing the prince.

It was an Alpha, menacingly tall and dressed in white. 

The Omega prince reached out to touch the man. 

He needed to touch him, but the chain would not yield. 

His heart began racing. 

Sobs were on the verge of escaping his lips. 

Even though this was a dream, the longing and the desperation in his chest felt _real_.

It felt so real that it hurt not to be able to hold the stranger.

Why though?

Why did he feel this way?

He was so sure he’d seen this person before. 

But his treacherous mind would not let him remember. 

Please. 

He needed to remember who this man was.

With tears in his eyes, the Omega could only watch as the person slowly walked away.

Why was he leaving Soonyoung all by himself?

How could he leave without saying anything?

He couldn’t let this person go. 

Who was he?

_Who was he?_

The coldness of white jade around his finger drew his attention, and when it glistened against the light of day, Soonyoung realized that he’d known all along.

Deep in his heart he knew who it was.

The prince stretched his hand forward and called out the person’s name. 

When he opened his eyes, Soonyoung was back in the mortal world.

Cherry blossoms were falling all around him like rain. He caught a fully bloomed blossom in his right hand, and when the prince looked up from the fallen flower, his entire world filled with striking color.

In the clearing, Mingyu was walking towards him. There was worry and bewilderment in his unwavering gaze, his eyes completely fixated on Soonyoung.

The prince stared back at him bittersweetly, weak from both tiredness and all-consuming relief.

Maybe one day, he would regret doing this, but in this very moment, the prince could not be hindered by any of his qualms.

Because there was no shackle ensnaring Soonyoung anymore…

So he ran up to the Alpha and wrapped his arms around _him_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would just like to apologize for 1.) changing the chapter numbers to 25 (because right now I think that's how long the story will be. I really thought I could make it 15 at most, but with the plot I have in mind, that is not going to happen) 2.) making everyone wait so much (I really am trying my best to make this fic as enjoyable as possible. So thank you so much for your patience, everyone! Not just for updates but for the actual SoonGyu development. More was meant to happen in this chapter, but I revised nearly half of it because I don't want the progression to be too fast. Soonyoung is slowly getting better though) 3.) saying something is going to happen in the next chapter and it doesn't ( it will most likely carry-over to the next few chapters, but feel free to remind me in the comments! There's a lot in my head that goes on between scenes so don't' be afraid to bonk me on the head if i said something non-SooGyu related was gonna happen and it didn't).
> 
> Besides all that...
> 
> Fun Facts Corner is Back!!!!!  
> 1\. For those of you wondering, DK has appeared in this fic already. I'm not pulling another COE on his character XD  
> 2\. Jihoon trained to be a doctor outside Firestorm Fortress.  
> 3\. Jihoon also had every right to be worried about Jisoo in this chapter...'cuz something actually is wrong with Jisoo, besides his sensitive mental state.  
> 4\. The room Soonyoung had snuck into with all the musical instruments was actually Jihoon's room. He's the one who gave Jisoo the gayageum to play with.  
> 5\. The room with all the rabbits was Jeonghan's.  
> 6\. Minghao is the best Omega swordsman in Firestorm Fortress. Another Omega is better than him at hand-to-hand combat though.  
> 7\. Besides WangXian, I also listened to Everyday by Ariana Grande, Fallin' Flower by Seventeen, and Psycho by Red Velvet to get into the mood of writing.  
> 8\. The main antagonist of this fic is not Oeseong Kwak.  
> 9\. Wonwoo is from Chrysanthemum State, and everyone in that kingdom despises him.
> 
> Leave kudos and comments if you can! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! More SoonGyu is happening, and I can't hold back my own excitement for what's to come!!!!!!


	10. Chapter 10

_Between the time when flowers bloom and scatter, scars heal and sprouts emerge. We live for this moment, the first and last. That's why I won't take you for granted, because you love somebody like me..._

_-Seventeen, Fallin' Flower (2020)_

“Wangja-nim…”

Soonyoung’s grasp tightened instinctively. His eyes were closed, and his face was buried in Mingyu's chest. “Please let me do this…just for a bit…”

There was so much to say, but he did not know what exactly needed to leap from his mouth. The prince could not even begin to describe the hurricane of emotions inside his chest. 

His heart was so swollen and heavy. All it wanted was to be unburdened - to release the barricaded deluge of sentiments that threatened to spill over like brimming water at a dam’s edges. 

But because he could not understand his own heart…because he could not put words to how he felt…there was a jagged blade piercing its way through his very soul.

Why did it hurt so much?

What was even hurting him?

Why was he being punished with pain?

The Alpha, who would not deny him even this indulgent request, pulled him closer and embosomed him with inexistent discomfiture. 

Soonyoung felt almost as though he were being cradled valorously - protected against all harm that may come, and with those strong arms enclosed around him so gently, the Omega felt the safest he’s ever been his entire life. 

Mingyu was not just any Alpha. To the prince, he’d never been.

In this moment in time…beneath the rain of cherry blossoms and the looming azure of the heavenly sky…they were just two people - Soonyoung and Mingyu. Not an Omega and an Alpha. Not a prince and a servant. 

_Just two people with invaluable hearts and minds…_

With that thought, the pain slowly dissipated, and the steady rhythm of the Alpha’s heartbeat brought a soothing calm to his weary body.

“Mingyu-ssi…is this alright?” Soonyoung queried with a hopeful breath.

There was a sort of familiarity with the way their bodies molded together, as if they’d wrapped their arms around each other this exact same way in a long-forgotten past. 

Could it be that the two of them had known each other in a previous life?

Had the red strings of fate brought them back together again? 

The world was a mystical place indeed.

“Yes, Wangja-nim…” Mingyu answered softly, mouthing the words close to the prince’s hair.

He had no intention to stop the curl of his lips. “You can call me hyung. I would not think it wrong to do so.”

“As long as you call me Mingyu…just Mingyu…”

The Alpha had such a lovely name. His parents must have loved him so.

“Okay…okay, I’d like that,” the prince whispered back.

“ _Soonyoung-hyung…_ ”

Hearing Mingyu speak his name so intimately made him quiver in excitement. 

Who knew an Alpha’s voice could sound so wonderful? 

“Hyung…Why…why are you _wet_?”

The prince’s eyes snapped open, and he immediately broke away from their prolonged embrace. With the length of his sleeves, he dabbed at his forehead and ignored the drag of oil on his nose when he’d wiped down his face. “I’m so sorry! I was just sweating all day!”

He probably looked like a slob. His hair was not at all smoothed down, and he was still _continuously_ perspiring through three layers of robes.

Oh heavens. 

The Alpha was chuckling now. Soonyoung was probably the most sloven royal he’d ever seen.

“Please don't judge me. I am not usually this unkempt!”

“It’s not that…you’re just perfect, you know?”

Even though those words weren’t true at all, Soonyoung felt like he could believe them if this Alpha was the one saying it.

* * *

“Where have you been?! I specifically gave you _one hour_!” Minghao groused, sitting right across a smiling Junhui at the dining table.

Their plates of food had already been finished and cleaned, and the pair were simply waiting for Soonyoung to show up.

The Kwon prince was bombarded with one sermon after another, and he was genuinely scared that Xu Minghao might accidentally pop a blood vessel from scolding him so fiercely.

But once Mingyu had entered the dining room after Soonyoung, his daunting presence had quieted down the willowy Omega…at least to a certain degree.

“Taking over escort duty now, Mingyu?”

Junhui frowned and gingerly admonished his lover. “Hao Hao, please don’t be mean.”

“I’m so sorry, Minghao-ssi,” the prince intervened, not wanting the cook to be the new target for Minghao’s unabating fury. “I had to change my robes when I got back from the meadows, and Mingyu was kind enough to accompany me here.” 

“Of course he was,” the irritated Omega muttered, getting up from his seated position. “Well, we're done eating, so you two can feed yourselves.” 

Minghao pompously left the dining room with his head held high, bidding neither Mingyu nor Soonyoung any parting words of adieu. 

“Good bye, Wangja-nim! Thank you again!” Junhui happily waved, before swiftly exiting the door to follow his grumpy mate. 

The Alpha and Omega left behind resigned themselves to eating their late lunch together. 

Soonyoung sat primly in the dining room, patiently waiting as Mingyu set the table for both of them. He’d offered to help from the very beginning, but the cook had stubbornly insisted he would do it alone.

The meal consisted of grilled tender loin and pine mushrooms served with rice and different side dishes - another one of the meals Soonyoung secretly favored in the Aster Province. Mingyu had even made sweet rice punch for them to drink afterwards. 

He hid the displeasure in his face with a wide and warm smile, and as he did with Seungkwan, the prince brought up a conversation to distract his companion from his eating habits. 

“Mingyu, where did you learn how to cook so well?” 

Though he’d asked as a means of diversion, Soonyoung really was actually curious about Mingyu’s life. 

Had he grown up in Firestorm Fortress?

When was his birthday?

Did his clan have their own symbolic flower that they favored?

The Omega prince wanted to know all these and more.

Mingyu’s eyes flickered over the food on the table, before his balmy gaze slowly lifted, and he said, “I will tell you if you play a game with me.”

Soonyoung tilted his head curiously, unaware of how dangerously cute the action had appeared to the Alpha in front of him. “What game?”

“A…g-guessing ga-game,” Mingyu stammered, slightly turning away with a hand over the lower half of his face. He quickly shook the giddiness away and cleared his throat before returning to a more serious expression. “You…You will have to close your eyes the entire time. If you can correctly name all the dishes I feed you without peeking…I will tell you how I became a cook.”

That sounded easy enough. He’d grown up eating a similar cuisine in the Aster Province, so a victory should come easily for him. It was his turn to indulge the cook’s requests, and if Mingyu wanted to play a game, he would happily do so without complaint.

“Alright…as long as this will not delay your other tasks for the day,” he stated, remembering that - like Boo Seungkwan - the Alpha probably had important things to do before sunset. “I would hate to monopolize your precious time.”

But rather than becoming frazzled, Mingyu peered at him with a languidness that made all his insides soft and sensitive. “You can have as much of my time as you wish, hyung…”

Soonyoung hastily closed his eyes tight before his heart could explode. “O-Okay! Let's start the game!”

He was most certain that the cook would mistake him for a crab someday, given how often Mingyu would make his face and neck combust in blazing scarlet.

The initial spoonfuls that went into his mouth were effortless to decipher. Most of them were vegetable side dishes commonly eaten throughout the different kingdoms. 

Pumpkin soup…nabak kimchi…miyeok muchim…beansprouts…gamjajeon.

Easy.

The Omega prince had no trouble identifying each food item with accuracy, and with the rate that he was going, Soonyoung was so sure that he would win.

But then his struggles started with the succeeding dishes that were placed inside his mouth.

The textures and flavors were familiar, but just when he thought he’d figured out what the dish was, the prince would doubt himself and be ever so tempted to take a peek at the lunch spread.

“I’m sure this is beef, but the dish you gave me earlier was grilled beef too. What is this?”

He was having a hard time differentiating what dish was what. 

Soonyoung swore he was tasting mostly beef, but some mouthfuls would have the texture of teok, and other times, it felt like pajeon. 

“Have you been mixing two dishes together? That’s not fair, Mingyu!” the prince fulminated.

The cook, however, stood his ground. “I would never act so dishonorably, hyung! Here, eat some rice, and cleanse your palate.”

After three mouthfuls of rice, their little game continued. He could not remember how many dishes had been on the table, but right now, it seemed like Mingyu was pulling new food items out of thin air. 

“It’s so good, but I don't think I’ve had this before… Is it shrimp? But it tastes like clams? I don’t know what the squishy things are!”

“That’s the squid inside the haemul pajeon, hyung,” the Alpha elucidated. “But I’ll let you have that point since the Aster Province is far from the ocean.” 

He couldn’t recall the last time he’d had squid, and if asked about any other sea creatures, Soonyoung had no idea what those tasted like. 

They moved on from the seafood and went back to more side dishes, which were again easy for Soonyoung to name. But afterwards, the cook started shoving more beef into his mouth, but each piece tasted just like the last.

“Mingyu, I swear you keep giving me the same beef dish! You’re playing dirty!”

“Hyung, I think your tongue is confused,” the Alpha said, subduing his chortles. “Would you like to forfeit?”

“No!” Soonyoung fervidly protested. “Give me more rice. I will win this game!”

Eventually, the cook announced that there was only one item left for him to try, and this one had turned out to be an absolute wild card.

A syrupy sweetness melted inside his mouth, and the more he chewed on the saccharine treat, the more flavors unraveled over his tongue. It was rich, nutty, crispy, flaky, and sticky and definitely something he would like to eat again in the future.

“I give up, Mingyu. I have no idea what this is.”

“That was Yakgwa…” Mingyu explained, his voice carrying a light tone of perplexity. “Honey pastry that only members of a royal family get to eat.”

“Oh that…” Soonyoung gulped down, nervous about what was going to share. “I was never allowed to eat yakgwa. I know they made it for me during my presentation ceremony…but my father was so angry that he would not let me eat it. He…didn’t let me eat anything for almost an entire fortnight…” 

He heard the clattering of a bowl against the table, and the Omega was not sure if he wanted to open his eyes just yet.

“B-But I’m happy to have finally gotten to taste it! Th-Thank you so much, Mingyu!”

Soonyoung could still hark back to the last time the cook had been angered, and he really did not need a repeat of that incident. 

“Hyung…your own father?! How could…how could he do that to you?!”

The prince exhaled, fiddling with fingers underneath the table. “He needed an Alpha son…but he was cursed with an Omega heir instead.”

“ _Cursed?_ ” Mingyu hissed out venomously. “How could he ever think that he was _cursed_? Did he not watch his own child grow up so beautifully? That finally explains everything… Now I know. Now I know why you see yourself in such a horrid way.”

“Mingyu, I do not blame him for anything,” he anxiously tried to placate the cook. “He is an Alpha king, and I disappointed him… It must have hurt his heart to have only one child…even more so to find out his only son was not fit to be his successor.”

“Hyung, don’t defend him! He hurt you, and he starved you, when he should have been cherishing you.”

There was more pain to his voice than anger, as if he were hurting for Soonyoung when Mingyu shouldn’t have been. 

This was his past, and it had already gone by. The Alpha did not need to be hateful of the yesteryears which could no longer be altered. 

“ _Mingyu…_ ”

Had he been wrong to reveal these things?

Should he have just kept quiet like his tutors had advised all those years?

Maybe he should have.

The hurt, the sadness, and all the scars of misery were Soonyoung’s to bear alone. 

But Mingyu would not let him do so any longer. “Is that why you hardly ever eat? Because being deprived of food was normal for you in your homeland?”

“I have a small stomach…” was his final, sapless attempt to delude the Alpha. 

“Hyung, you finished every single dish on the table.”

To his retort, Soonyoung opened his eyes and looked down to find all the dishes empty. “M-Mingyu! I thought we were supposed to eat everything together!”

“I already ate before I went to the meadows,” Mingyu responded candidly.

So then…the whole game had been for the Alpha to gage how much Soonyoung could really eat.

He’d been tricked…but not cruelly. Not for any selfish reasons…

It was to bring them to this point - where an imperfect fragment of Soonyoung's life had been unveiled, and there was hardly anything more troubling that could be left hidden.

“Please…please don’t ever think you need to starve here. Don’t ever think you aren’t worth the world and more. This is not the Aster Province. Here, you can say and do whatever you want. You can eat as much as you want, and I promise I will cook you whatever your heart desires. If you ask me to cook an entire cow, I will do so right away.”

The prince bit at his lips in apprehension.

Was it really okay?

Would that really be okay?

“But…Mingyu, I cannot eat an entire cow,” he innocently unbosomed. 

Where did the cook even gotten that ridiculous idea from?

Is that what the Crown Prince of Gwangsan Kim ate everyday? An entire cow?

The Alpha smiled tenderly. “I will still cook it for you anyway.”

But then that meant Mingyu would have to cook two cows instead of just one every morning. The Alpha was willing to put in that much effort for him?

Soonyoung realized that he should have just kept his eyes closed this whole time. That would have been better than feeling like he’d melt the longer he stared at the handsome cook’s face.

“Why must you always be so sweet?” the prince mumbled, debating whether it would be more embarrassing to hide under the table or just run out of the dining room.

“What was that, hyung?” 

His pondering mind was reeled back to reality, and he quickly discerned Mingyu was waiting for him to answer. “Uhm…nothing! I just…I said that…uhhh…I…I lost! I lost the game! But would you still answer my question? Please?”

Mingyu's smile slipped at the corners, but he’d caught himself before it could completely fall from his face. He didn’t want the prince to know that something had gone awry inside his bleeding heart.

“Next time, hyung. I promise I will tell you everything next time…”

* * *

Soonyoung had never been gifted in the arts, but he did know how to make plush toys in the likeness of animals.

During one particularly lazy afternoon, where both he and Minghao had no other work left to do for the day, the prince dragged the Omega to the arts room and began hand-crafting his little project.

Minghao had been condemnatory of him the entire time they’d been cooped up inside, but he did voice out honest opinions - all of which contributed significantly in the improvement of the prince’s work. He’d also cut out certain materials and helped him pick colors that would match the semblance of the creature he was trying to recreate.

They’d finished right before supper, and after Soonyoung ate, he’d rushed back to his room to retrieve the toy and headed straight to the garden to await his companion.

He and Mingyu had agreed to meet after the day was over, in the privacy of the Firestorm Gardens at night. 

Only a few people were walking around at this time, and if they kept their voices low, no one would ever come to disturb them.

“Mingyu, I have something for you…” he said shortly after the Alpha had arrived.

It was not perfect at all, and he’d never given anyone something he’d made with his own two hands, but he’d put a great deal of effort into making this little trinket. So the prince hoped it would be enough to make Mingyu smile.

Soonyoung brought out the plush toy from behind him and, with both hands, offered it to the surprised cook. 

“Hyung, is that for me?”

The Kwon Omega nodded abashedly. “Can you tell what it is?”

Mingyu eagerly took the toy from him and cradled it with fondness.

“Of course I can…It’s a tiger…” 

The stripes and the orange had been a dead giveaway, but according to Minghao, it may as well have been a fox or a dog because of the ambiguous body shape.

“I’m so glad you recognized it!” the Omega prince exclaimed in relief. “Now you have a horangi to protect you at all times!”

The Alpha grinned and hugged the toy even tighter. “Thank you so much, hyung! What should I name him?”

“It’s entirely up to you, Mingyu.”

It was nice of him to consider Soonyoung’s preference in the matter, and it would be marvelous if they could both share an equal part in naming their future children-

Wait, what?

Good thing Mingyu was too busy peering at the fake tiger in his arms to see Soonyoung gag on his own saliva.

“Hmm…shall I name you Soonie?” the Alpha cooed at the toy, rubbing at his beady nose. “How about Youngie? Soonyoung Agi? Eorin Wangja-nim?”

“Mingyu, don’t name him after me!” 

Thankfully, the cook was susceptible to his bewailing. “Then, I will name him Hoshi.”

“Hoshi?” 

_Tiger’s Gaze?_

Strange, but it was somewhat charming.

“I guess that would be alright…” Soonyoung acquiesced, because _Hoshi_ was definitely better than _Soonyoung Agi_. 

They seated themselves on a carved wooden bench, surrounded by firestorms lightly swaying in the wind.

It was a splendid evening to be outdoors. The temperature wasn’t too cold. There was no eventide shower to dampen their unconcealed haven, and the moon was glowing brightly in the starry sky, enough to light their way through darkness without the need for candlelight.

The Omega glanced at the cook beside him, taking in the beauty of Mingyu’s features beneath the lunar gleaming, and his body shifted closer subconsciously.

“Mingyu?”

A pair of luminescent Alpha eyes peered down at him with less-than-subtle adoration. “Yes, hyung?”

“Can you promise me something?” Soonyoung implored reverently. “Promise me that no matter what happens, this garden will always be our secret place…where we can both just be ourselves, and we can tell each other anything and everything with absolute honesty…can you please promise me that?”

Surely, it would not be so wrong for them to keep a piece of this refuge for themselves. Even though they had no claim over the Firestorm Gardens, at least between the two of them, it would be their hidden sanctuary deep within the night.

“I promise, hyung,” Mingyu agreed upon their covenant. “From this point on, this garden will always be ours…”

The prince hoped that _someday_ … _when they were old and grey, the two of them could look back upon this moment and think…for once, they had found a rare kind of happiness. He hoped it would give them vibrancy in their darkest days and serve as a sanctum in their loneliest nights._

_And when they were no longer of this world…the memory of this time and place would live on forever…until time itself had nothing left to measure._

Ahhh…his heart really was filled with such amorous notions.

“I read too many romance novels,” Soonyoung confessed to himself, only realizing after that he’d spoken out loud. 

He gaped and covered his treacherous mouth, cringing at his own stupidity. “I’m sorry! I don’t know why I’m saying such weird things!”

Mingyu seemed to be trapped in a daze. “Were you, hyung? What weird things were you saying?”

With a crimson-colored face, he braved through his own embarrassment. “It’s just… _this_. This thing between the two of us…I know I must be prattling on and on…and you never say anything to stop me…but I just think-”

The Alpha was staring straight into the prince’s eyes, still enchanted - _still mesmerized_.

By what? The Omega wasn’t sure.

Mingyu’s tongue unconsciously licked at his bottom lip, and from that action alone, Soonyoung’s gaze lowered, and he became entranced by the Alpha’s reddened lips. 

What had been talking about again?

What was he supposed to say?

“I just…think that we…”

“Think what…hyung?”

“We could be…”

Their faces inched closer and closer, until there was only a hairsbreadth left before their lips would touch.

_We could be…something more…_

But before they could kiss, a loud cry startled them out of their combined stupor and broke the heavy tension between them.

“Inappropriate! Inappropriate!!!”

The intrusion had come from a drunken Jihoon, who wedged himself in between the two while Wonwoo and Junhui came running after him.

“Dishonor! Dishonor on you, Mingyu! Dishonor on your whole family!” he roared, pointing an accusing finger at the flabbergasted Alpha as he shielded the Omega prince behind him.

“Jihoon, stop!” Wonwoo grabbed Jihoon’s hand and pulled him out from between Soonyoung and Mingyu.

Junhui seized the physician’s feet, and the two Alpha soldiers started towing the intoxicated Omega away from the garden.

“I refuse to let you disrespect the prince like this!” Jihoon continued bellowing, even as he was being manhandled. “Where is the yedan? Where are the precious jewels? Where are the chickens?! You couldn’t even get him chickens???”

“Jihoon-ah, calm down!” Wonwoo groused. 

“We’re so sorry, Wangja-nim!” Junhui apologized, before the three of them finally disappeared into a corridor.

But even after the quiet atmosphere had returned, Mingyu and Soonyoung could no longer look at each other.

* * *

By the time Seungkwan had come back from his hiatus, the Kwon prince was already rising out of bed by himself in the morning.

His body was surging with endless invigoration, and he was always excited to be up and about by the time the sun had risen. 

Everyday, he would wake up to thoughts filled with Mingyu. 

Everyday, he could not wait to see Mingyu in the kitchens during meals and in the gardens during their nightly rendezvous. 

Everything in his world was now just _Mingyu, Mingyu, Mingyu_. 

Although he did not relay any of this to Seungkwan, the sonorous Omega had noticed the change in his energy and the increase in his appetite. 

With delighted and almost knowing looks, he would ask a few questions but never too much to imbue his privacy.

For many days, the joy in his eyes and the thrill in his heart could not be banished.

That is...

_Until one day…_

“Wangja-nim, I have wonderful news to share with you!” Seungkwan announced during supper that fateful night.

“What is it?” he had asked unwarily. 

“The king said you will be joining us tomorrow!”

At the mention of that specific Alpha, Soonyoung’s grin immediately disappeared. “Us? What do you mean us?”

“All of us, Wangja-nim,” Seungkwan spoke enthusiastically - his cheery tone the same as always. But now...it felt _haunting_. “All the other omegas and the Alpha king! It’s going to be very rough day because of your lack of experience, but I’m quite sure His Majesty will go easy on you!”

Soonyoung paled, and his aching heart took on the trepidation and horror he’d never wanted to experience again.

Of course. 

Of course, they would do this to him.

How could he forget?

How could he forget the reason why he was even here in the first place?

And now, he was not only expected to have sex with the Alpha ruler but also with the other Omega concubines there as well.

He couldn’t take it anymore.

Soonyoung ran all the way back to his room, ignoring Seungkwan’s worried cries, and slammed the door behind him before sinking to the floor. 

Tears were incessantly flowing down his cheeks. The prince was certain he would start shedding bloody tears if he kept on weeping so hard into the morning.

What had he been thinking?

The answer was...he had _not_ been thinking _at all_.

* * *

“What’s wrong with you now? Your favorite Alpha didn't kiss your feet after supper?”

The prince continued staring hollowly at the full moon. He was in the darkness of the meadows, avoiding Seungkwan and Mingyu and hoping they weren’t searching for him inside the palace. “Oh…Minghao-ssi, always there to brighten up the mood.”

“Okay, something is definitely wrong with you. Tell me now so we can be done with it, and you can go back to being your obnoxious self.”

The willowy Omega sat down next to him, a good four feet away, but still close enough to hear. 

“It’s nothing. I’m just being an idiot as per usual.” 

He was already deprecating himself so Minghao would not have to.

“Wangja-nim…” Minghao said with uncharacteristic softness, before sighing in frustration - obviously pushing himself to act kinder than he was used to. “Tell me what’s wrong. I will help you in whatever way I can.”

It sounded pretty good, almost genuine even, but Soonyoung could not bring himself to playfully banter with him right now. “I appreciate your offer, Minghao-ssi, but unless you can tell the king to leave me be, I don't think you can help me…”

There was a pause between them, but the respite of silence did not last.

“What did he do?” the willowy Omega queried.

He rubbed at his swollen eyes. “It’s more of…what he's about to make me do…I’d always known it would come, but even then, I’d hoped for some sort of miracle to happen. I'd turned a blind on the truth for so long, and now it’s coming back to haunt me…”

Minghao’s back straightened in cognizance of what Soonyoung was talking about. He had expected the Omega to tell him to bite the inside of his cheek and do whatever he needed to as they did. He expected maybe even some sort of consoling pieces of harsh advice to get through it with his head held high.

But what he did not expect was for Minghao to turn to him with palpable wrath coursing through his veins. 

“So you made him wait all this time?! _For nothing_?”

Why was Soonyoung now suddenly the villain?

Did Minghao really love their Alpha king that much?

"I never even wanted it!” the prince argued. “How could you expect me to just lie down and take it like I have no emotions of my own?”

“Then what do you want?!”

Was it not obvious enough?

Had Minghao never wanted the same thing? Or was he so used to bending over for someone who was not Junhui?

“I want to be free…” The tears were slipping again, and there was nothing he could do to stop them. “…and I don’t want someone to hurt because of me…”

“You don’t want _someone_ to hurt, and yet you were the one who allowed _him_ to hope!”

He really did not want to have this altercation. The prince felt horrible enough, but Minghao kept pushing him and pushing him to the edge.

“I was wrong! I was selfish, and I wasn't thinking clearly! Do you think I planned for all this to happen? I know you hate me, but I am not the monster you think I am!”

“End it now then! Break his heart, and just leave him alone!” the armed Omega practically growled.

“I can’t!!!” Soonyoung cried in agony. “I can’t hurt him like that! I don't know what to do, Minghao! How do you tell someone you were never meant to be together?”

“Do you think I was ever meant to be with Junhui? No! We were a wrong match from the very beginning, but neither of us cared about what path the world had already laid down for us. We created our own white thread of fate, and no blade will ever be sharp enough to sever our bond.”

Minghao got up to his feet and leered viciously at the Omega prince. “If you want to be with someone, if you truly love them…you would do everything in your power to be with them.”

The prince responded with a bitter smile. “I’m not like you… I have no power. I have nothing to offer Mingyu.”

Soonyoung wished he could have found out more about Junhui and Minghao’s love story, but it was too late for that.

Any former pleasantries between them were now gone forever.

“What a foolish person you turned out to be…” Minghao turned away but not before giving him a final piece of his mind. “But maybe _we_ were more foolish to think you would actually care about _him_ …”

Why would Minghao even say that?

Soonyoung was acting this way because he cared about Mingyu so much.

Minghao did not understand. He would never understand. 

No one ever will.

No matter how wonderful and kind the people were here, Firestorm Fortress was not his home.

As the willowy Omega walked away and left him all alone once more, his emotional barriers came crashing down, and the prince fell forward into the grass to clutch tightly at his painful chest. 

He could not stay here any longer.

He couldn't do it. He tried to be strong. 

He tried to prepare himself for whatever he needed to do to survive.

He still wanted to survive, but he just could not give himself to someone he did not love.

He could not live his life bearing child after child, waiting to be disposed of when they were finally done with his body.

He wanted love, but he could not sleep in the king's bed and let Mingyu smell another Alpha on him after.

That would be too cruel.

It would be better to simply disappear rather than be a hindrance to Mingyu’s happiness. The cook deserved someone he could call his own entirely, someone who would give him children with unquestionable parentage and live to a ripe old age with him.

Not Soonyoung. 

Mingyu didn't deserve someone like him.

Xu Minghao had been right about him all along. He was repulsive, selfish, obnoxious, and foolish.

He had to leave.

Soonyoung had to escape Firestorm Fortress tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've made it to Chapter 10. YAY but not really. I got pretty upset while writing this. I mean, if you're reading this comment, you guys know exactly why. Remember when I said things will eventually go to shit? Believe it or not this isn't even the real shit yet. This is the pre-shit. Sorry, I keep saying shit. This chapter really took a toll on me, and I hope I was able to convey all the characters' emotions like I wanted to. Once again, THANK YOU. If you made it to this chapter, i just want to say THANK YOU. Thank you for kudos, comments, subscriptions, and bookmarks you've all been continuously giving me. We're kinda halfway-ish to this entire fic, so we're getting there. I'm not sure if I can do another update tomorrow, but I promise I will try my best. If not, I will take the time to update during the weekend. I'm just really emotionally exhausted from writing Chapter 10. Thank you for your patience! Thank you to my constant commenters! I see y'all! I feel y'all! And I love all the theories you guys have been telling me! I'll reply to everyone once this is up. You guys are all incredibly sweet, and it just makes me want to give this fic everything I've got!
> 
> I am grateful to every single one of you! 
> 
> Please let me know what you guys think! I really really love reading your comments! Shower me with theories!!!!! <3


	11. Chapter 11

_Between the time when flowers bloom and scatter, scars heal and sprouts emerge. We live for this moment, the first and last. That's why I won't take you for granted, because you love somebody like me..._

_-Seventeen, Fallin' Flower (2020)_

The witching hour had already passed, but the dizzying spell of sleep could not overpower him. There was something more vehement seizing his entire being - a fear that would not unfetter his mind and heart.

He waited in silence inside his room, without the light of burning candles, for the patter of footsteps in the halls to cease and for the hushed whispers of the roaming guards to wane.

The Prince of Andong Kwon had no desire to see the aurora within these ominous walls. By the break of dawn, he would be standing beyond the domain of Gwangsan Kim - disenthralled and never to return.

Only then could Soonyoung belong to himself again.

He slipped out of his boudoir, leaving behind all that had been given to him except for the calico aster robes and shoes he’d arrived in. The prince had no right to take anything else.

Like a specter in the shadows, his steps were mute. He tiptoed through corridors and leaped over thresholds. 

Soonyoung fled down the grand staircase and straight across the precinct, blending right into the light-painted stone because of the color of his garments. If he’d worn the hue of nightshade, the guards would have noticed from at any given distance.

When he finally reached the doorway to the city, the Omega prince ran as hard as he could.

No one was following him, but he needed to abscond quickly. Time may not be a luxury to him later, especially after someone finally realized he was no longer in the palace.

The giant gates that barred the way to his freedom drifted closer and closer as he charged forward through the empty streets and sleeping households.

Only when his hand had come into contact with the enormous black gates did Soonyoung sink to his knees to catch his breath.

A lone soldier stationed in that area trotted up to him, diffusing a light scent of Bergamot into the swirling cold wind.

This had to be the gate keeper. No one else would be up at this time.

“How may I help you, young master?” he chirpily queried, unsettlingly ebullient for someone awake right now. Even Soonyoung could not pretend to be so lively at this hour no matter how hard he tried. Perhaps, this soldier was a night owl, and his bodily energies were derived from the moon instead of the sun.

Still desperately panting, the Omega prince wheezed out, “I…need to…leave. Right now… Please, sir…open the…gates…”

“But, young master, it is much too dangerous outside the city at this time during the night,” the soldier apprised him. “For your own safety, it would be best to wait ’til morning…”

Soonyoung anxiously shook his head. “No! I have to…have to leave now! So please…please, please, please…open the gates!”

The gate keeper frowned, but his expression was not angry or displeased. Instead, he seemed heart-wrenchingly _sad_. “Are you sure this is the path you want to take?”

His brows furrowed, and the prince returned to an upright position. “Yes…yes, I am certain…”

For reasons unspoken, the soldier gazed softly at him with melancholia and mirth - somber and spirited conveyance weaving finely together in a strange and inconceivable way. 

The Kwon prince wordlessly gazed back at him, feeling almost childlike, as if he were so small and impuissant compared to the man before him. But in those golden eyes, Soonyoung could see only goodness, and he immediately knew that he was not in harm’s way.

“Then I shall open the gate for you.”

He blinked, and the gold in the soldier’s orbs were gone. Soon, it disappeared from his memory as well.

“Be safe, young master,” the gate keeper imparted one last time.

“Thank you…” Soonyoung whispered in gratitude, bowing to the man before taking off into the darkness. 

He had nothing on his person - no money, no valuables, and no food or water, but even without all those, the prince could not be hampered from his great escape.

The chance had been his to take at a moment’s notice, to take without a beat of hesitation, and now that he was outside of Firestorm Fortress, he could no longer ignore the heaviness in heart. He feared for those who may be punished as a result of his selfish actions. Boo Seungkwan, Xu Minghao, the roaming Alpha guards, and anyone who’d been assigned to his custody - Soonyoung could only mutter infinite apologies and pray to the gods for their well-beings. He hoped for them to be shown only forgiveness and mercy from the fearsome Alpha king they all loved. 

As the Omega disappeared into the thickets, the soldier let out a deep and worried sigh, before begrudgingly closing the gates once more. 

“My stubborn child, why must you be so obtuse? You are only making things more difficult for yourself...” 

* * *

He could not avoid exhaustion forever. 

The fire hound statues of Firestorm Fortress were no longer visible from where he was deep in the woods, but how far and how long he’d been running, Soonyoung wasn’t sure. 

But now he was parched, and his legs were aching. The cold morning air left iciness in his lungs. It cut through the insides of his raw throat each time he suspired, and the taste of blood was now all too familiar on his tongue. 

The perspiration on his back was drying out and lowering his body temperature, and when he’d come upon a spring, the frigid water he had eagerly gulped down made him feel even colder.

Thank goodness the morning sun was slowly rising. Any longer and he might have frozen to death, and that worried him for the eventual night that was to come.

He was bound for the Aster Province. There was no other place for him to go. 

But the prince now was slowly regretting having gone about this plan without much preparation. 

Until he’d stumbled across a sign - dilapidated and faded out, but undoubtedly said _Moon Shadow Village_ , Soonyoung had no idea where he even was.

The only direction he could rely on was whatever memories he had left of the maps he’d studied long ago. A compass would not have been as paramount if his land navigation skills were dependable. But it had been such a long time since his days of terrain association, and he didn’t even have enough experience traversing through the wild to begin with.

So the Omega prince begrudgingly stared at the sign and counted on his lucky stars to choose between going left or right.

The Aster Province was somewhere below the Moon Shadow Village, if he could recall correctly, so he had to go right - downstream. 

Hopefully, another village or city was nearby, and he could ask the townsfolk for more directions then.

Before he could continue his trekking, Soonyoung caught sight of rustling in the peripheral bushes. The tiredness in his eyes dissipated in an instant, and his body thawed faster than snow thrown into a furnace. 

The prince pulled the wooden sign out of the dirt with both hands and wielded it over his shoulder like a battle axe, ready to strike at whatever creature was hiding in the shrubs.

“W-Who’s there?!”

His brave roar had sounded more like a feeble squawk, and when a tiny bunny leaped out of the bush, his wretched mouth unleashed an unattractive hybrid of a duck’s whimper and a goat’s bleat from surprise.

“Oh…oh…I’m going to die here,” Soonyoung bemoaned as he placed a hand over his erratic heart. He dropped the sign and unmindfully backed away from the bushes…only to collide against something behind him. 

It was firm, and it was generating an abundance of heat, warming the skin on his back and shielding him from the cold wind. 

He would have brushed it off as a tree, but…trees could not release hot breaths on the top of his head. 

They also could not emanate a threatening aura of eeriness and power from just standing in the middle of a forest. 

The color drained from his face, and every thought inside his head blared warning signs not to look behind him. He knew he needed to run away, but the minacious presence against his back had paralyzed his limbs through induction of terror alone.

Any moment now, Soonyoung knew he was going to faint…or be eaten. Neither option was pleasant, but he’d much rather be unconscious while the monster tore his guts out and picked at his flesh.

“Soonyoung-hyung…” the dangerous beast spoke, and the prince turned around so quickly that he almost snapped his own neck.

“Mingyu???!” the Omega cried out, almost wanting to cry in joy and relief upon seeing the cook right there with him. 

But the Alpha was supposed to be preparing breakfast for the king and the crown prince and all the other palace dwellers at this time. How could Soonyoung be relieved when the cook might be in peril once he returns to his master?

“Mingyu…what are you doing here?”

The cook seemed to be brooding. His eyes were clouded with despondency, and he wore a pained expression on his face. “A man came to the palace. He said someone left the city gates in the middle of the night. I was looking for you all over the palace, and when he told me that, I…I knew it had to be you… So I followed your trail, and I’m so glad I finally caught up to you.”

Upon hearing the story, Soonyoung couldn’t stop the immense guilt from searing through his throat and lungs. This was what he and his stupidity always did - put others in jeopardy, and he’d done the same thing to Mingyu all over again.

“You shouldn’t have followed me…” he muttered in despair. “If you go back now, no one would know you were even gone, and you won’t be punished for leaving the palace grounds without permission.”

“Do you really think I would leave you out here all by yourself, hyung? Do you really think I would allow you to wander around the woods and become fodder for the animals?” Mingyu scowled, but his gaze shifted away from Soonyoung and onto the ground beneath their feet. “Whose permission do I even need to run after you and make sure you are not in the midst of danger?”

“But you need to go back before they find out you’re not there!” the prince contended. Something inside him was being crushed into bits and pieces, and the more he spoke, the worse it felt. “Can’t you see that I don’t want any more harm to come to you?!”

Mingyu looked up at him sharply at the mention of harm, as if he was now only realizing that he was within its grasp. Soonyoung wanted him to realize that, and he wanted Mingyu to tread back home right this second so he can avoid such torment from his ruler. 

He thought that the cook was afraid, but his scowl had not wavered. Instead, his eyes reflected unwanted, unadulterated, and unfathomable _heartbreak_. 

“Why did you leave, hyung? What had I done to upset you?” 

Soonyoung was disoriented by the Alpha’s agonized tone. “N-Nothing! Mingyu…Why are you- Why would you ever even think you did something wrong?”

“If I did everything right, you would not want to leave all by yourself in the middle of the night.”

“But I did not leave because of something you’d done…”

“Then why would you endanger yourself like this?”

Did he really need to spell it all out? 

It already hurt too much thinking about _it_ , and if they started talking about _it_ now, Soonyoung would only cry a river, and he did not want look like a mess in front of Mingyu.

“Because…I would rather be lost in these woods than be _imprisoned_ all my life.”

The cook’s soul appeared to detach itself from his body. “Imprisoned? Is that how you felt being in Firestorm Fortress?” 

“Yes…” the prince weakly admitted, because a beautiful bedchamber was still a prison cell if he had to eventually give up his body in exchange for the luxuries showered over him.

“I had no idea…” Mingyu mumbled ruefully, wincing as if he were a sinner who’d made Soonyoung’s life a living nightmare. “I had no idea…I’m so sorry, hyung…”

The Alpha staggered to the base of a barren tree, propping his left arm on his bended knee to crestfallenly bury his face in his hand. 

Soonyoung approached the cook and sat within an arm’s length next to him. “None of this was your fault, Mingyu. Please don’t be so sad…I just want to go home. I want to go back to the Aster Province. I don’t care if my parents disown me. I don’t care if I have to live on the outskirts of town as a social pariah. I just want to be where the calico asters bloom…where I don’t have to be someone else’s property. I just want to be Soonyoung. I don’t have to be a prince. I don’t even have to be part of Andong Kwon. I just want to be _free_.”

The cook nodded, before wiping at his tears and turning to the prince with reddened eyes. “Then… can I at least accompany you there?” 

“What?” Soonyoung scratched at his head. “Mingyu, I already told you. You need to go back-”

“Let me take you back to the Aster Province. It would be safer if we travel together, and once you are home…I will go back to Firestorm Fortress…”

The prince pressed his lips tight. 

After that, they would never see each other again. They would move on with their lives, and they would eventually find another rare kind of happiness…with other people…

And then Mingyu could forget all about him…

And find an Omega who would never hurt him the way Soonyoung has countless of times…

“… _okay…_ ”

* * *

Their journey together began right after Mingyu returned the sign to its former position in the forest. 

“We need to go right,” Soonyoung enlightened the Alpha, confidently even when he really shouldn’t have been. “The Aster Province was south of the Moon Shadow Village when it was still existed.”

If Mingyu had never gone after him, the Omega prince would have truly died somewhere in the woods, and his body would have never been found.

“Hyung…that means we need to go left,” the cook answered patiently. “If you go right, depending on the next road you take, you will either circle back to Firestorm Fortress…or end up in the ruins of Osmanthus City. And if you travel past that city…”

The beguiling Alpha paused, and he looked to the prince with hesitation. 

Ever the confused and curious Omega, Soonyoung asked, “If I travel past Osmanthus City…what will I find beyond their realm?”

“You wouldn’t want to know…” Mingyu forebodingly replied, before facing left and proceeding to their intended route.

The subject was not brought up again.

For a good few miles, words between the two were sparse. Whenever Soonyoung attempted to start a conversation, the Alpha contributed little to keep their discussion going. 

It was obviously not out of spite, but he could tell that Mingyu had returned to being uncomfortable around him once more.

Soonyoung did not like it at all.

“When should we start preparing for nightfall?” he queried once the sun had reached the tip of the mountain peaks. 

By this time, they had covered a good thirty miles with the pace they were going. Mingyu seemed to know exactly how to get to the Andong Kwon’s homeland, and so not once did they have to do any sort of detouring or backtracking.

“Once we’re near the Town of Gardenia, we can start building a fire and rest for the day,” the cook stated tersely.

They both collected dead tree branches on the way, and when the bustling sounds of a town were within hearing distance, Soonyoung and Mingyu deviated to the flowing river bank and set up camp.

Neither of them were carrying any money, so it was an unspoken fact that they would be sleeping on the cold ground tonight.

“Hyung, can you go over to that tree for a second?” Mingyu directed him as he hovered over the pile of branches that would soon be their bonfire.

“Anything to help,” Soonyoung said with a soft smile, before walking over to the tree the cook had motioned at. “What did you need me to fetch from here?”

“…the rock…”

The prince glanced at the numerous rocks nestled in between the roots. “Uhm…which rock?”

“…the big one…”

“But there’s a lot of big rocks here,” he said, turning to look at the cook when a raging fire erupted from their branch pile. 

Soonyoung was taken completely by surprise, and at the same time, he was totally mesmerized by the vibrant blazing. “Mingyu, how did you make it flare up like that so fast?!”

The Alpha stood up and dusted off his palms. “…I cook everyday…”

“Oh, right…” the prince’s voiced trailed away. Of course, Mingyu would be an expert at starting a fire briskly and effortlessly. 

Why had Soonyoung even asked? 

Mingyu probably thought he was too inattentive now…or worse, Mingyu probably thought the prince didn’t care enough to remember things about him.

“We can go into town tomorrow if you’d like,” the Alpha stated as he broke dead branches with his hands and fed them to the fire. “The people there are friendly, and I am acquainted with their leader. They’re not very well-off, but they can give us a handful of supplies if we ask. I just don’t want to intrude on them tonight while they’re preparing for dinner.”

Dinner sounded good right about now.

Soonyoung ignored the sudden pangs of hunger emerging from his stomach. “You’re right. It would be awful to ask them for food if they already have so little.”

He’d been more than prepared to skip meals until they made it to the Aster Province, where he knew exactly which plants were safe to eat or not. The prince wasn’t going to ask Mingyu to find food for him. That would have been too disrespectful and inconsiderate.

But he did worry about what the Alpha would be eating, given that he was in this mess because of Soonyoung. He had to find something for the cook to at least nibble on.

“Mingyu, I’m going to look for some roots and berries for you, okay?” 

He acknowledged the prince with a curt nod. “Do not wander too far.”

* * *

The most he could find was knotweed and harebells - a far cry from the appetizing dishes Mingyu always made, but it was food nonetheless and hopefully enough to hold the Alpha off until their next stop.

Soonyoung carried as many of the plants as he could with both arms. To his astonishment, when he arrived back at their camping site, Mingyu was already cooking six codfishes over their fire. 

“Had I been gone that long? How did you catch and clean all these so quickly?!” 

He couldn’t have disappeared for more than half an hour, but that had been more than enough time for Mingyu to find and cook his own dinner. 

The Alpha had undoubtedly proven himself to be the one with self-sufficiency and an actual capacity to survive in the wilderness.

“Practice,” was the blunt answer Soonyoung had received.

He dropped the heap of plants next to the bonfire and flopped onto the large, flat rock Mingyu had most probably moved there for him to perch on. 

“I’m sorry this was all I could get for you.”

“It’s fine, hyung. If we had a pot, I could have made a daegu tang with the stems and blossoms.”

He’d never been a fan of codfish stew, but even that sounded like a delicacy he would love to devour right now.

The delicious smell of fish was wafting in the air, and the growling of his traitorous stomach grew even louder than before. 

He would not ever dare to ask for the Alpha’s hard-earned meal. It was such a hideous demand, and the prince had no desire to be more selfish than what he’d already revealed himself to be.

Soonyoung began chewing on a harebell, imagining that it was a piece of cod inside his mouth instead. The edible petals were quite bitter, but the taste didn’t matter much as long as his belly was being quieted. 

Mingyu blankly eyed him for a moment, probably noticing how heavily the prince was lusting over the fishes he’d caught, before unfastening the branch with the biggest catch and offering it to the prince.

“Oh, no, no! I’m fine, Mingyu! Please go ahead and eat,” the prince insisted, grinning as he placed another harebell into his mouth and chewed noisily. “Mm! It’s so good!”

Mingyu waited for him to dryly swallow the flower, before warning him in a deep and slightly baleful tone. “Hyung…if you don’t eat the fishes I caught for you by yourself, I’m going to tie you up against a tree and make you beg for it all night long…”

Soonyoung’s mouth hung wide open.

That did not sound like it came straight from an erotic romance novel. 

Not at all.

He grabbed the branch with trembling fingers and pink cheeks. “I…I understand. I’ll eat…I’ll eat everything you give me…”

* * *

When the moon was high up in the sky and all the food had been consumed, the two laid on the ground right next to the fire, gazing up at the stars and recounting tales in the times of yore.

“When I was a child, I really wanted to have my own pets…” Soonyoung narrated. “But for some reason, I didn’t fancy the though of having cats or dogs. Silly little Soonyoungie wanted chickens. My mother told me I couldn’t have any, because the chickens had to stay outside in their little coup. Eventually, I learned that chickens sat on eggs to keep them warm and hatch chicks, so I stole a couple of eggs from the kitchen one day and hid them in a pair of shoes to keep them warm. My mother decided to wear those exact shoes the very next day, so imagine her surprise when she’d slipped one on and cracked an egg with her toes.”

Mingyu chuckled at the prince’s lighthearted story. “That was actually quite adorable. Imagine how cute your own Baby Soonyoungie would be in the future.”

The Omega laughed to hide his discomfort. He preferred not to have any thoughts about babies right now, so he eluded the sensitive topic to start anew. “How is your mother, Mingyu? You’ve never really told me much about her.”

For a short moment, the cook stayed completely mum, and it made Soonyoung feel like he’d gone into uncharted territory without meaning to do so. 

“She died when I was young,” Mingyu revealed insipidly.

The thought of Mingyu losing his mother at an early age ripped at the seams of the prince’s heart.

“O-Oh…oh Mingyu, I’m so sorry…”

To make matters worse, the tragedy did not end there.

“It’s the same with my father,” the Alpha resumed, steady with his tone and voice. “They both died around the same time.”

“What? B-But you were just a child…and without either parent…Mingyu, oh goodness…Mingyu… What happened to them?” 

“The king they served had them executed. Someone had tried to poison the king, and the council blamed my father because he was the cook. So the king had him beheaded. After he was killed, another council member insisted that my mother had been an accomplice, because she was the physician’s aid and she was the one who knew which herbs were poisonous or medicinal. So the king had her beheaded as well.”

All this time, Mingyu had been speaking in a matter-of-fact tone, but anyone who’d cared enough to listen closely would have heard the unending grief and sorrow in his voice. Soonyoung wished he could do something to make it all better. He wished he could go back in time and prevent such devastation from happening to Mingyu and his family.

He never would’ve imagined that the Alpha had gone through so much pain as a child. To be orphaned and to live with so much suffering, anyone would have become embittered and resentful of others. But Mingyu was not like that at all, and Soonyoung couldn’t help but wonder just how the Alpha had grown up to be so benevolent when the world had been vile and unfair to him.

“Mingyu…what happened to your parents was just _horrible_ …I can’t believe people could be so cruel…did this all happen at Firestorm Fortress?”

The cook shook his head. “No…it happened in a different kingdom…”

What an awful kingdom that had been.

Perhaps it was time to start another topic.

Soonyoung did not wish for the Alpha to keep wallowing in painful thoughts.

“Where were you born, Mingyu?”

“…I am not certain,” he responded forlornly. “I do not remember my mother or father ever telling me…”

The prince was drowning in commiseration. No wonder the Alpha never wore robes or symbols of his favorite flower.

He did not have any to call his own. 

“But…do you at least know when your birthday is?”

“It’s some time in the spring…when the flowers are in their blooming prime…”

That was something Soonyoung could work with. Come springtime, the Omega prince could bring him to the blooming mountains near the Aster Province. They could have a picnic in the calico aster fields and enjoy the sun light and the view from up above. 

“Then we shall celebrate it together next year.”

Soonyoung was even willing to learn how to make rice cakes and seaweed soup for the Alpha to enjoy. He could even craft more presents for the cook - one plush toy for each year since he’d been born. 

Wait. Did Mingyu even know how old he was?

Before the prince could ask him, the Alpha had his own query that needed some clarity.

“… _Together_ , hyung?”

Why not together?

Oh, right.

Once they reached the Aster Province, they were going to part ways.

Even though he’d agreed to it earlier, the prince really _really_ disliked that idea.

“Uhm…I…I mean…” 

He truly wanted Mingyu to find happiness without him. That was one reason why he chose to flee Firestorm Fortress in the first place. But now that Mingyu was here with him, willing to journey so far away to keep him safe, Soonyoung had to battle with temptation again. 

He wanted to be the selfish prince Minghao always said he was.

Soonyoung wanted to keep Mingyu all for himself.

“What if…you don’t go back to Firestorm Fortress?”

Was he really going to do this?

Was he really going to be this bold and shameless?

Mingyu pursed his lips, pondering deeply about something, before replying. “Why would I not go back?”

There was also the matter of punishment. If Mingyu went back there, the king may even have him killed for abandoning his post and turning his back on his master.

The Kwon prince couldn’t let that happen. 

How could he let that happen? 

“What if you stayed with me in the Aster Province? All your life, you’ve been serving others. When I arrived at Firestorm Fortress, you took care of me and treated me so well…maybe this time, I can take care of you…”

Mingyu’s answer lingered on his tongue, and only after seconds had past did he finally unveil it to the world. “…Only if you wish it, hyung.”

That wasn’t a good enough answer. He needed to know if Mingyu would let him in one last time - would give him a second chance to show that he really did care so much about the Alpha.

Soonyoung could give him a permanent home.

A life outside of servitude.

Maybe…even a surname…

The last one was too much to think about right now though.

“I will not force you if that is not something you want. But…would you like to? Please be honest. Would you like to stay in the Aster Province with me…?”

One specific word had been omitted from his question. 

It was something too deep and daunting to utter.

Maybe someday, he would find the courage in himself to say it, but today, Soonyoung would keep it to himself. 

The Alpha’s mouth curled up ever so slightly. “Yes…I want to stay with you, hyung…”

His heart filled with glee, and he beamed back at Mingyu - relieved and excited for their return to his home.

“I think you’ll like it in the Aster Province. It’s not as big as Firestorm Fortress, but there’s a lot of open space…and it never gets too cold or too hot there… We have a gigantic lake next to…next to the palace…so you can go swimming there…in the summer. We have festivals…every season and…and…” 

Fatigue finally started to weigh him down, and he could no longer fight it. The prince’s eyes fluttered, drowse gently pulling his lids shut. But he did not want to fall asleep just yet. He did not want their colloquy to end so soon. He wanted to know more about the cook. There was still so much for him to find out. 

With the last of his strength, he turned his head to the Alpha and said, “Mingyu…tell me a story…”

Mingyu glanced at him with half-lidded orbs that smoldered like the fire beside them.

“ _Once upon a time…there was a little prince who lived amongst the calico asters…_ ”

Soonyoung smiled. He should have made it clear - he wanted the cook to tell him a story about himself. But the prince listened to the story anyway. He’d already gotten a glimpse of the Alpha’s past today, and there was still a tomorrow to look forward to. He could learn more about Mingyu then.

“ _He was beautiful and kind and beloved by many…_ ”

The Alpha’s lulling voice sent him adrift across the ocean of dreams. His body surrendered to asthenia, and his mind descended gracefully into somnolence. 

Safe, at peace, and incredibly fortunate to have someone by his side…

Even though Soonyoung could no longer hear the tale, Mingyu continued peering at him with lovingness and affection. 

And as he spoke, tears glistened in his eyes.

“ _One day, the little prince saw a slave boy getting thrown out of the kitchens. He scraped his knees and fell into a puddle of mud. The boy thought the prince would laugh at him and call him ugly, but instead, the little prince ruined his own elegant robes to lift him out of the dirt. He washed the boy’s bruised and bloody legs with his own hands and gave him a new pair of shoes without holes. From that moment on, the slave boy loved him, and he would not stop loving the prince even after he was taken away and sold to another kingdom. The boy promised to himself that, if he ever met the prince again someday… he would repay his kindness, protect him from all evil, faithfully serve him, and love the prince until his very last breath…_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Easter Sunday, everyone!!!!!!
> 
> Okay, this chapter was kinda not as bad as the last one...and that's because I had to split this chapter into two. But for now, we ended on a good note. You guys found out more of Mingyu's backstory, and of course, more and more will be revealed. Just wanted to add this real quick - the thing Soonyoung said about compasses...YES you can survive in the wild and find your way back home with just a map if u have one. I had to go through shit like that before I quit my job LOL I did have a compass to use, but I hated using it and was like fuck it I'll find my way back using the map alone and I survived :D 
> 
> I know you guys have lots of theories and thoughts going on, and I promise we are THIS CLOSE to the truth. Everything will start coming out like word vomit soon. Questions, comments, and concerns will be addressed! So I hope you guys liked this calm chapter. Small doses of pain every now and then is good for the soul. I can't always be giving you guys the full dose. But to the masochistic readers, I promise the hurt is not over HAHAHAHAHA. For all my silent readers, don't be shy! Let me know what y'all are thinking :)
> 
> Did you guys catch all the easter eggs I left in this chapter? 
> 
> Also, I'm kind of wondering if anyone thinks Jihoon or Seungcheol is Bulgae. (I told u guys I love theories XDDDD)
> 
> Thank you so much for patiently waiting! Kudos and comments are my soul cookies <33333 thank you to everyone who's liked my fic! Thank you to my constant commenters!!!!! Thank you to my new commenters!!!!! I love reading all comments and interacting with you guys!!!!


	12. Chapter 12

_Between the time when flowers bloom and scatter, scars heal and sprouts emerge. We live for this moment, the first and last. That's why I won't take you for granted, because you love somebody like me..._

_-Seventeen, Fallin' Flower (2020)_

Soonyoung opened his eyes to a bright and golden gleaming. 

The blinding haze lifted with ease, dissipating into wispy clouds before fading out into the blue light around him.

He was kneeling on the white sand again, and when he looked up, the blooming sky - flourishing like a garland in a myriad of vivacious colors - encompassed the sun just as boundlessly and as breathtakingly as he’d remembered, if not even more so than before. 

His eyes searched for the man in white, but the Alpha was not there, and the feeling of despondency blanketed itself over him. 

Had the Alpha really left him all alone?

Was he going to come back?

Soonyoung wanted to see him again.

The Omega called out the man’s name, but no sound would leave his throat. 

He reached a hand out in the direction he’d last seen the Alpha, but another person’s hand tenderly enclosed around his own and tugged it over his own beating heart.

The person pulled Soonyoung into his firm chest and embraced him warm and tight. 

It was wonderful being held in this way - cradled and nestled against someone so endearingly, so affectionately. 

What a lucky Omega he was to have an Alpha who treated him with such care.

But the rattling of chains wrenched him out of his blissful musings, and when his gaze shifted downwards, he found his wrists bound and shackled.

Soonyoung’s eyes shot wide open, and his breathing drastically labored as it quickened without control. He cried out panicked pleas, but none of them could be heard. He yanked at the chains, fighting to liberate himself with all his might, and only stopped when the man’s grip on him tightened in warning.

Why was he in chains again?

He was supposed to be free.

Why hasn’t he been freed?

“Did you really think you could escape me?” a low voice whispered harshly into his ear. “Did you really think you could leave me?” 

The man mercilessly wrapped the long chain in his hands around the prince’s throat, suffocating him and crushing his neck.

Why was his Alpha doing this him?

Why would he think Soonyoung would ever want to leave him?

“ _I…I’m sorry, Alpha_ ,” he choked out painfully, hot tears spilling down his cheeks. 

This time, his voice could be heard.

His fingers ghosted over one of the man’s closed fists, hoping to soothe the person angrily clutching at the chains with his touch. 

“ _Please, Alpha…I won’t leave you…I promise…_ ” the prince reassured him, even as dark spots began to stain his vision. 

Then, the chain around his neck slackened and fell into the sand.

Soonyoung took in a deep breath of air and swiftly turned around to see the Alpha’s face.

But before he could look upon the menacing figure, the blinding haze returned to blur everything before his eyes.

The light of the sun glowed brighter than ever, amalgamating with all the colors in the heavens and everything down below with its aureate rays. A single flash of its beams plunged him back into the mortal world…

And the Prince of Andong Kwon awakened from his slumber.

He gingerly brought his hand to his neck. Physically, he felt no pain at all, but emotionally, his heart was aching. 

It was just a dream.

It was only a dream, but the feelings in that world of flowery skies always felt real.

Still, the things he’d seen and the emotions he’d experienced had all been in his mind.

The only _real_ that existed was where his consciousness and his body met together - _this_ world. 

His hands and feet were not chained up in _this_ world.

He was free in _this_ world.

He had Mingyu in _this_ world…

Soonyoung smiled at that lovely thought.

The morning air was crisp and placidly still. The birds were chirping and flying between the trees. Their fire had just gone out, but the remnants of embers still emitted puffs of dark smoke. 

When the Omega glanced to his right, he realized that his Alpha companion was no longer lying beside him, and his spot on the ground had long gone cold. 

He got up from his makeshift bed, fallen leaves crunching beneath his hands and feet, and moseyed over to the river to wash up.

After splashing cool water over his face, the prince wandered towards the town in search of the cook. His best guess was that Mingyu was already over there, speaking with the leader and requesting for supplies to aid in their lengthy journey. 

Compared to the noise yesterday night, the Town of Gardenia was much more quiet during the day. Soonyoung entered through a space between a couple of house huts - not at all the proper entrance, but there didn’t seem to be any official gates to pass through. He paused to ask a woman rushing by if she’d encountered a roaming Alpha, but the Omega female ignored him as she ran straight to her home and locked the doors behind her.

In fact, everyone was fleeing into the safety of their houses and urgently banging their doors and windows shut. 

What was going on?

Had they been startled by seeing Mingyu?

He was indeed a tall and intimidating Alpha, but the cook had always been more of a shy and gentle giant. He would never hurt anybody.

“Mingyu? Mingyu!” Soonyoung called out, picking up his steps as he followed the path where the townsfolk had been running from. 

The prince passed by abandoned stalls filled with produce and other wares. A cart roasting chest nuts was still freshly filled and piping hot. Toys children had just been playing with were left on the empty streets. There were even donkeys and cows tied to watering holes still waiting for their masters to sell them or take them to the fields.

What had frightened the townsfolk into fleeing for their lives and leaving everything they were doing behind?

He reached the civic square, informal and unpaved but obvious with its purpose, and found five, burly Alphas cornering a Beta just outside the town hall. 

The Beta male, white-bearded and aged, stood brave and unmoving in the face of those unsolicited men. 

Their robes were coated with gold-stitched magnolias on top of white lining, stylish and refined like the flowers they wore with pride, but the arrogant expressions on their faces reflected nothing of the sweetest of magnolias. 

Mingyu was still nowhere to be seen.

“Where are the tributes, old man?!” one of the Alphas - the leader of their pack - bellowed like a bacchanal. “We told you what would happen if you don’t pay up by the end of the month!”

The Beta, with a single Gardenia blossom pinned to his chest, spat at the ground. “In the past, we gave in to your brutish ways. We had no way of fighting back, and you exploited our people without qualms. But my, how the tides have turned… Leave now or we will be bury you all in the dirt with your ancestors!”

Another Alpha savagely punched the Beta in the face without warning or remorse, and one of the other men followed suit by kicking him in the ribs. 

The bearded old man fell to the ground and spurted out blood from his mouth. He clenched at his bruised side and struggled to get back onto his feet, but the leader of the Alphas kicked him in the stomach to keep him down. 

Soonyoung gasped at the ruthlessness they were showing to a helpless old man, and just as he was about to order for them to stop, a hand seized his wrist and pulled him behind the town hall’s structure.

“Mingyu?!” he muttered in surprise, face just inches away from the Alpha’s. “Mingyu, we need to help him!”

The cook nodded solemnly. “I know, hyung. But first, we need to keep you safe.”

“But Mingyu, he needs our help now! All of the townsfolk have fled to their houses, and those men are going to kill him!”

“I will help him, hyung…but you have to promise me you’ll stay here and hide.”

Was he really going to fight all those Alphas by himself?

“I can help you, Mingyu! You can’t just go out there by yourself!” 

The Alpha placed a hand against Soonyoung’s cheek. “I’m going to be fine, hyung. Just promise me you won’t do anything rash.”

“O-Okay,” the Omega answered in uncertainty. “Okay, I will hide here.”

Mingyu pushed away the prince’s stray hairs, before closing his eyes and pressing their foreheads together. “No matter what happens, _do not_ let them see you. _Do not_ let them know you’re here.”

It wasn’t an Alpha command. 

It wasn’t going to force him to stay still and not intervene. 

Soonyoung bit his bottom lip and nodded. 

“You dare talk back to the children of Jinju Kang?!” the leader of the pack roared. “Don’t forget whose soil you’ve all been feeding off of for generations!”

“You claimed our land for yourselves! You took away our Omegas and our children to become your slaves!” the old man shouted back, even as blood spilled from his lips and his body seized up from the pain. “But this is _our_ land! We owe nothing to your kingdom! The Town of Gardenia is no longer yours to terrorize!!!”

“Shut up, you old fool!”

Just as the leader was about to land another hit on the old man’s face, Mingyu stepped out into the square, glaring dangerously as he made his way towards the center of the raucous.

“Did you say you were the children of Jinju Kang?” the cook interjected, eyeing each of the Alphas in revulsion. 

“Yeah? What about it, peasant?!” the leader growled back. 

“Your king, _Kang Dongho_ …” Mingyu hissed out the monarch’s name without reverence, and that had all the other Alphas snarling at him. “He agreed that the land on which this town stands now belongs to Gwangsan Kim. So none of you should have even stepped foot into this place unless you had a death wish.”

“Who the hell are you to know what our king has decided upon?!” one of the men squawked.

The leader, who was almost as tall as Mingyu, stepped forward and raised his voice even louder. “Gardenia has been under Mount Magnolia for centuries! Our king would never give up a part of his territory to some self-proclaimed king of some weak, useless clan!”

No one had expected the cook’s hand to reach out and clamp down on the leader’s throat. His chokehold was strong enough to stop the air from flowing into the Alpha’s lungs, and the man’s face started turning blue in a matter of seconds. 

“Don’t think for one second that _my_ clan is weak or useless…” he spoke gutturally, before picking the leader up from the ground. His fingers tightened and closed, and the sound of the Alpha leader’s spine breaking echoed horrendously in the air.

Mingyu’s hand loosened, and the man fell to the dirt and made no attempts to get up.

“Hyung!” one of the men rushed over to him and flipped him onto his back to check his pulse. After checking both his radial and carotid pulse, the man sneered at the tall cook. 

“He- He’s dead! You killed him… You killed him!!!!!”

The Omega prince’s eyes widened, and he reflexively reached for his own neck as if to protect it. He’d never seen Mingyu like this before. He’d never even seen someone kill another person with their bare hands, and it was terrifying. 

It was absolutely terrifying.

The other Alphas drew their swords and charged at Mingyu all at the same time. 

The cook was unarmed. Soonyoung didn’t even know if he could hold a weapon and defend himself, but the Alpha stepped and weaved himself away from the prowling group's powerful swings with ease.

The bearded old man reached out to hand him a wooden cane, and Mingyu grabbed it and used it to bash the other Alphas heads in one at a time.

But all this time, they thought only five Alphas had come down from Mount Magnolia. As Mingyu fought, other Alphas of their group came storming in after one of the swordsmen had ran away to call for reinforcements. 

Soonyoung watched in horror as more and more men started surrounding Mingyu, and even though the cook managed to fend off the attackers, he was blind to one of the the Alphas coming for the bearded old man. 

So without thinking, the Omega leapt out of his hiding place and tackled the Alpha just as he was about to strike at the aged Beta crippled on the ground.

He took hold of the Alpha’s sword and flung it across the square, and when he scrambled to help the old man get away, the swordsman yanked at his ankle and reeled him in.

“They have a new Omega!” the Alpha declared as he pinned the prince down with a perverted grin.

At the swordsman’s words, a few of the Alphas fighting Mingyu paused to take a quick gander at him depravedly. 

“Hurry up and kill him! We’re about to have some fun, brothers!” one of them proclaimed. 

Mingyu turned to the prince in alarm, and he growled in frustration when he could not get to him right away. He still had to face off against multiple Alphas all by himself, and his need to get to Soonyoung this instant was leaving him distracted and more vulnerable to their attacks.

Soonyoung desperately fought against the hands that held him down, and with a jerk of his leg, he kneed the Alpha right in the groin and pushed him off as the swordsman recoiled in pain.

The prince went straight to the Beta, who pushed him away and refused to let him stay another second. “Wangja-nim, you must run! Don't worry about me or Mingyu! Go! Go now!!!”

He cringed at the thought of leaving the poor man in such a state, but his heart and his mind were muddled with trepidation. So he ran away as fast as he could - retreating back into the forest as a handful of Alphas chased after him.

* * *

Soonyoung knew he was being hunted down like a wild animal now. The Alphas pursuing him were no longer flat out running after him. Instead, they were stalking him like experienced predators. He could not see them, but the air of the forest reeked with disgusting scents. 

This was a game for them - a tourney to find out who was best at catching their designated prey, and Kwon Soonyoung was the unwilling quarry they sought to devour. 

He tried to get away from their collective stenches, but no matter how deep he pushed forward into the wilderness, the noxious odors would not go away. 

The prince was running on pure adrenaline, and he knew if he stopped, his body would shut down from exhaustion. So he kept on going without even knowing where he was or how far away from the town he was. He had no idea whether he was heading in the direction of the Aster Province or back to the Firestorm Fortress. 

All he could do was run. 

No one else was out here. 

No one was going to help him if the Alphas caught him. 

He could not even begin to hope that Mingyu would come to save him should the men succeed in capturing him.

He knew what they were going to do with him, and he felt nauseous just thinking about the horrors Alphas were capable of. 

Soonyoung would rather die than be subjected to such disgrace. 

If he happened to come upon a cliff, the Omega would jump without a second thought. Leaping to his own demise would be so much better than allowing those filthy Alphas to touch him.

But by the time he heard a whistling sound speeding towards him, it was far too late. 

Out of nowhere, the sharp tip of an arrow punctured the back of his shoulder, and the strong impact pushed his body forward. Soonyoung collapsed onto the forest floor, groaning from the paralyzing pain shooting down the entire length of his body.

He winced as he pulled the arrow out of his own back and threw it into the shrubbery. 

The prince felt his own blood gush from the open wound. Wet and tacky against his back, the red liquid trickled out with each of his frazzled movements and soaked through his delicate robes.

As he clamored to get back to his feet, the prince’s knees kept giving out from under him, and he had to slump against a fallen tree trunk to keep himself upright as best as he could. 

Something started burning through his veins, simmering with heat all the way into his bones. His limbs were losing strength, and he could hardly breathe without taking in large gasps of air. 

Soonyoung could not understand how a single arrow could do so much damage when it hadn't even hit any vital organs. 

But then an ache started rippling through him, beginning from his navel and trailing all the way down to his legs and toes. There was a strong _need_ for something deep inside himself - like an itch that had to be scratched, but it quickly morphed into a different type of _need_. 

His skin was becoming more and more sensitive as the seconds passed, and the soft robes no longer left silky and comfortable on his body. 

Instead, they were suffocating him with their numerous layers and ties that never seemed to end.

It was hot.

Too hot.

So hot that he felt like he was boiling in his own skin. 

He had to battle with the overpowering urge to undress himself, because Soonyoung finally understood.

With ice cold fear crashing over him like an ocean’s wave, the prince realized that his own body had betrayed him in the worst way possible.

He was going into heat.

Right here.

Right now.

In the midst of Alphas ready to feast upon his body.

But this heat was progressing unnaturally. It was taking over his senses so much faster and stronger than usual, and it frightened him. His thoughts drifted to the arrow that had punctured him. It had to have been poisoned - deliberately varnished with a substance to trigger him into heat. 

It was an awful truth too hard for him to swallow. 

Alphas truly had no care for Omegas and the sanctity of their bodies. 

They’d drugged him just to get him to stop running, and they didn’t care if the heat they'd forced upon him could kill him. 

He’d read of the poisons that induced a sex-craze in its Omega victims, and after the Alphas had satisfied themselves, they'd left the Omegas writhing for a single touch to make the pain go away. Because the fire of their heats could not be quenched and their bodies could no longer stand the strain, the Omegas died from the seizure of their hearts.

It was such a heartbreaking way to die - begging for something they had not even wanted, all because of Alphas and their unending greed. 

The prince feared that he may not come out of this alive after all... 

The world was practically spinning around him, and he could barely move a muscle. His head hurt, his body hurt, and his heart had plunged right into an abyss of hopelessness when he saw the Alphas emerge from behind the trees. 

Soonyoung shuddered in disgust. He wanted to puke from their awful smells. He wanted to spit at their faces and tell them get away from him.

With the last of his will-power, he squeezed himself into a hollow log. If they were going to take him, at least they would find it difficult before anything else.

One of the Alphas reached in to pull him out, but as soon as the man's fingers came close to his face, the Omega chomped down on the appendages hard enough to draw blood.

“This bitch bit me! He bit me!” the swordsman shouted to his companions as he cradled his injured hand. 

Another Alpha pushed him away, only this time attempting to coax Soonyoung out with a deadly knife. “Get out of there or I’ll stab your eyes out, you little whore!”

But then the Alphas of Mount Magnolia started turning against each other. They were all reacting to the hormones his body was releasing excessively, and so the need to mount him was driving them all mad with sexual desire. 

Each of them would not allow the other to take him first, so the fiends brawled against each other as if they were sworn enemies of different kingdoms. Brotherhood and unity had dislodged themselves far from their minds. Because right now, they all wanted the same thing, and they were willing to tear each other's throats out for it. 

Soonyoung wept as he cowered from the sounds of fists crushing against bones and teeth snapping and ripping through flesh. Heart-wrenching fear and despair torched through his insides, and all the while, he prayed to gods to spare him. 

He pleaded to the gods above for deliverance from these brutes as he had no one else to turn to, and if it weren’t in their hearts to save him, he begged that the gods would just take his soul now and let him die before any of the Alphas could lay their filthy hands on him. 

In his final surrender to the cruelty of fate, the Omega prince released a harrowing, strangled cry that emerged from the depths of his grieving heart. 

His ear-splitting wail had caused the Alphas to stop gnashing at each other, but within a second, their snarls returned. 

But then, something more threatening roared back at them, loud enough to pierce through eardrums and make skins crawl.

The thundering sound had come from the very bowels of hell itself.

Because no ordinary could release a roar like that.

No.

_This_ was the roar of an Alpha with power unlike any other.

* * *

“Jeonghan, where is Mingyu?”

The Alpha soldier teasing grin slipped at the sudden question. He promptly curled his lips again, before turning to the Second Prince and feigning calm so as not to worry him. “He’s out in the mountains right now… Why’d you ask?”

“Something does not feel right,” Jisoo spoke pensively as he peered down at his gayageum on the table. 

He absently plucked at the strings, earning an arbitrary melody in return, only for the steel threads to snap underneath his touch. 

Jisoo yelped out in surprise, and Jeonghan immediately stole his hand away to inspect the damage. “Jisoo! I told you to be more careful!”

The Omega’s fingers had bruised purple much too quickly, and the Alpha sorrowfully brought the swollen digits to his lips, silently wondering how much time he had left with the Second Prince.

Not much longer it seemed…

And Jeonghan did not have the heart to tell him. 

Not when Jisoo kept smiling more and more each day.

“I’m sorry, Jeonghannie. I just…do you think you can check up on Mingyu? I’m really worried about him…”

“Of course, Jisoo,” the Alpha obliged warmly. “Although, I am sure he will be back in no time, and if not, I will drag him down the mountains myself to make him come and see you.”

He hated lying to his lover, but lately, Mingyu has been making it almost impossible for him to tell Jisoo the truth. 

Frankly, no one in the palace knew where Mingyu was, but they all knew exactly _who_ he was with, and Jeonghan could only hope that all this trouble would be worth it in the end. 

A strong gust of wind brought his mind back to tending to Jisoo’s fingers, and what stole away his attention this time was how Jisoo’s anxious face slowly morphed into profound aghast. 

Even though he was staring at nothing in particular, the Omega was on the verge of tears. The Second Prince looked woefully stricken and dsimayed, as if he were witnessing a gruesome stage play right before his very eyes. 

“J-Jeonghan… _Mingyu is in trouble_ …”

* * *

The wind was howling eerily, and the heavens had darkened even though it was still midday. Clouds heavy with rain were threatening to pour at any given second. 

Soonyoung could not believe what he was seeing. In fact, he had to be hallucinating from the poison in his body. 

Mingyu was here. 

The cook had come to his rescue.

He was fighting every single Alpha that charged at him with bared teeth and clenched fists. He held his own against even the ones who were brutish and broader than him. 

He’d already knocked three of them unconscious in heaps on the ground. The other Alphas were bleeding from their facial orifices, swollen and bruised from all the fighting that has been going on.

There was hardly a scratch on the Alpha cook, and he wasn’t even wearing protective clothing like the others were. 

The prince could only guess where Mingyu learned how to fight like that, because now was not the time to be asking questions. 

He just wanted it all to be over. He didn't want the cook to get hurt and risk his life anymore than he already has.

It was such a mess, and it was all Soonyoung’s fault.

If he hadn't left Firestorm Fortress, this would have never happened.

Soonyoung closed his eyes and covered his ears, shielding himself from the ugly sounds of feral growling, snapping bones, and cracking skulls. They were hard to ignore, especially when the cries of pain followed, and suddenly, the spattering of blood and sickening thuds of abused flesh no longer sounded as awful. 

The putrid Alpha scents were slowly masked by the thick, sanguine scent of gore.

His childhood memories of carnage were brought back by the miasma, making his guts want to rid itself of foulness he kept inhaling.

The final screech of horror came from one of the Alpha men. His pitiful screams were cut short by the solid blow to his face, and after that, the chaos had died down.

Aside from the baying of the wind, silence finally returned to the forest. 

The Omega hesitantly looked up and peeked through the cracks in the wood.

Mingyu was the only Alpha left standing - panting and trembling from the killing frenzy, but otherwise unscathed. His face could not be seen, but the blood...the blood he'd drawn from his opponents - Soonyoung could see the liquid scarlet dripping down his arms and fingertips quite well.

And he was doused in even more fear than before. 

Who was this person who'd come to save him?

He was too scared to find out.

The Alpha who had just barreled his way through a dozen men had not been Mingyu. It could not even have been human at all.

The one responsible for all this violence was a wild animal.

Would it do to Soonyoung what it had just done to all those men?

Was it going to kill him next?

Or had it reacted to his pheromones like all those Alphas did? 

Did it only came to save him just so it could violate his body like the other men had wanted to?

He’d rather be ripped to shreds this instant than be sullied and left to die begging for an Alpha - _any Alpha_ to use him and make the pain go away.

“Hyung?” Mingyu called out to him, voice meek and gentle like it always had been. “Hyung, where are you?”

A monster was not beckoning for him to reveal himself. 

It was Mingyu. 

_Soonyoung’s_ Mingyu. 

His Mingyu who would never do him harm.

His Mingyu who promised to live in the Aster Province with him.

The Omega crawled out of the empty log slowly, wiping at his tears when he finally spilled out of the small space. “Mi…Mingyu…”

“Soonyoung-hyung!!!” 

The cook immediately ran to him and took the prince’s face into his bloodied hands. “Oh, hyung…I was so worried! Are you alright? Are you hurt?”

Soonyoung winced and kept his eyes shut tight. Everything was just too much. 

The tears were flowing down his face like a torrent that could not be stopped. The pain deep in his navel was becoming more and more agonizing, and the prickling heat consuming every inch of his skin would not give him ease.

He couldn’t breathe anymore.

He couldn't do this anymore.

But even as his mind wished for death, his body was begging him for something else. The hands on his face felt so good. If only they could touch other parts of him too…

He felt embarrassed to be thinking such dreadful thoughts about his companion.

He just wanted it all to stop. 

No matter what it took. 

“M-Mingyu…Mingyu, I’m s-sorry…I’m r-really really s-sorry…”

The prince needed to ask the Alpha to kill him now before Soonyoung lost full control over himself. 

There was no other option.

He wasn’t about to let his hormones and his drugged state force Mingyu into mindlessly doing something worse.

As long as the Alpha was still sensible…as long as he-

“Hyung…why do you smell so good?”

Soonyoung fretfully looked up at Alpha, and he was met with a pair of vicious, gleaming red orbs. 

Fate really was such a cruel mistress.

The prince had no choice but to concede to her will.

Salvation for either of them was no longer possible.

Because his heat had triggered Mingyu into a rut... 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To those who are always patiently waiting for my updates, I will do my best to update at least every other day. Writing has been a bit of a strain recently. I want to take a long break, but I also want to keep the traction going for this fic. I really do love this fic so much, and I am so so excited for everything I'm about to write, so I hope taking a day break in between will be enough to keep going. Thank you so much for everyone who's been patient and who's been following this fic since day 1! Thank you for leaving kudos, subscriptions, shout outs of twitter, and comments!
> 
> The story may now have fewer light-hearted moments, since the turning point of this fic is finally here. 
> 
> What will happen next? Stay tuned to find out!


	13. Chapter 13

_Between the time when flowers bloom and scatter, scars heal and sprouts emerge. We live for this moment, the first and last. That's why I won't take you for granted, because you love somebody like me..._

_-Seventeen, Fallin' Flower (2020)_

He was losing himself. 

The heat was taking over like an unforgiving scourge.

Soonyoung’s self-control was gradually slipping through his fingers, and no matter how tightly he held on to the last bit of sanity he had left, his treasonous body refused to listen to his clamoring mind.

The heightening of his senses made things even worse, because all he could _see_ was the handsome face with bright red eyes in front of him.

All he could _feel_ was the cooling touch of hands caressing his inflamed skin.

All he could _smell_ was the aroma of spring blossoms, juniper and sandalwood in oil, and burning fire in icy winter - everything dovetailing together to create the rich and inviting scent that was distinctly Mingyu.

It was so much more than just an _Alpha_ scent.

Mingyu smelled like a _mate_ the prince could have for himself - a person he could come _home_ to and harmonize with not just in body, but with mind and soul as well.

But…Mingyu also smelled _dangerous_. 

He smelled like an embodiment of unforgivable sin, tempting the Omega with unspeakable things…horrible, hedonistic things that guaranteed every part of him would come undone - an advent of rapture unlike anything he’s ever felt before.

…and it made Soonyoung’s body quiver with excitement. 

Because he desperately wanted to know what the Alpha _tasted_ like.

Mingyu laid him gently on the forest floor, and he impeded the prince from any sort of escape with his hovering figure. His fingers languidly traced the Omega’s soft lips, curious as to how they would feel pressed against his own…and anticipating how they would feel stretched around a certain part of his body.

“What do you want, hyung?” the Alpha asked the beauteous person trapped beneath him. “You need to tell me…I need to hear you say it…”

The prince's cognition floundered grievously for his tongue’s restraint. But the poison inside his veins and the treacherous desire in his nether regions frayed every thread of rationality holding his mind together.

His body purely sought to please the Alpha, to answer his summoning like a good Omega willing to be used over and over again.

Soonyoung had betrayed himself and turned into the salacious heathen he never wanted to become.

_Mingyu, please help me._

“I want all of it,” he whispered back, before baring his neck for the Alpha to scent him.

_I’m so scared._

“I want your cock. I want you to destroy my body. I want your knot…”

_No._

“Alpha…I want you to come inside me…”

_No. No. No._

Mingyu buried his face into the Omega’s exposed skin and inhaled the sweet fragrance diffusing from his pores. The tip of the Alpha’s nose trailed from Soonyoung’s collarbone all the way up to the side of his jaw. 

“How badly do you want it?” he whispered into the prince’s ear.

_I don’t want it. Please, I don’t want any of it._

Soonyoung parted his legs and reached up to pull Mingyu’s hips down into him, and in this position...in the way the lower terrain of their bodies meshed together, the teasing friction between them depicted only the lewdness that was sure to come. 

His message was well-received, and the Alpha forcefully grounded back into him and provided his loins a smidgen of delicious relief. 

It was so, _so good_ , but it wasn’t enough at all.

Soonyoung needed more than that.

They needed to take their clothes off. 

He needed to feel naked skin against his own barrenness. 

He needed to feel it all raw.

His nipples were hard, and if the Alpha so much as flicked one of them, Soonyoung felt like he could orgasm right away. 

He was so sensitive that even just being penetrated may make him come without his cock ever being stroked.

He'd never felt so sexually frustrated in his entire life, and he just wanted his insides to be wrecked and ruined without mercy.

“Do you want it with me?” Mingyu continued whispering, his lips brushing against the shell of Soonyoung’s ear.

_Not like this._

“Only with you,” the Omega answered dazedly, wrapping his arm’s around the Alpha’s neck. “There’s only been you.”

_I don’t want it like this._

Mingyu reeled back to look into the prince’s eyes, staring inquisitively at the jet-black orbs kindling with unabashed lechery. 

A frown tugged at the cook's slightly parted mouth.

Without warning, he flipped Soonyoung onto his stomach, and the Omega whimpered in surprise at the sudden change of placement. 

But it was okay. 

He didn’t mind being taken from behind if that’s what Mingyu wanted.

Whatever degrading act the Alpha wished to do to him, Soonyoung would not refuse. 

It did not matter which hole he wanted to use either. His mouth and his ass were both Mingyu's to ravage. The Omega was willing to suck, lick, gag, swallow, and take it in as many times as the Alpha liked. 

He was never, ever going to complain.

The Alpha tore every layer of his robes open, and only then did the prince notice that it had started raining. 

Droplets of water fell onto the bleeding wound on his back, making him hiss and squirm underneath the palm pressing him into the dirt. 

For a while, Mingyu was doing nothing else to him, and he could only guess that the Alpha was scrutinizing the mark from the arrow that had punctured him. 

Did he think Soonyoung was ugly now?

Did Mingyu not want him anymore?

His fears were only confirmed when the Alpha pried himself off of the Omega and aggressively cursed under his breath. 

Mingyu backed away from him, and Soonyoung looked back at the Alpha in panic, unable to even pick himself up to stop the cook from leaving.

“ _Mingyu?_ ” his voice crumbled with distress.

The heat came back to scorch him with inexorable agony, and the loss of what little amelioration he had made him shed more unsightly tears. 

“Mingyu, don’t leave me!” he cried over his shoulder, writhing on the ground as the pain within his navel twisted ruthlessly through his insides. 

The Alpha stopped pacing back and forth upon hearing his plea, and he reluctantly closed the distance between them once more. He crouched down to sadly glance at the prince and gingerly took his hand. “Hyung…do you trust me?”

Soonyoung cringed and wriggled from the unending pain, and in a strained murmur, he responded with unfeigned candor.

“Always…”

_When have you ever given me a reason not to?_

His body was immediately hoisted over the Alpha’s shoulder, and Mingyu broke into a sprint, running across the forest without so much as an explanation. But the exigency in his actions were enough to convey his intentions. 

He was not going to take Soonyoung like a beast on the damp and dirty ground, surrounded by nature and fueled only by the compulsion to breed. 

Soonyoung had no idea where they were going until the Alpha took a leap, and the rapidly flowing river engulfed them into its icy waters.

They were both immediately submerged in bone-biting cold, gasping as the freezing liquid numbed every body part below their necks. Together with the rain descending from the heavens, it was a frigid assault coming from all directions, and succumbing to such intense, glacial conditions made it hard to think about anything else besides the frigid pain. 

Mingyu held onto him tight so the undertow could not drag the Omega away, and when he stood, even the current could not beat down his tall and broad body. 

The sudden drop in the prince’s body temperature brought some of his sanity back, and Soonyoung took the chance to seize a fraction of control over himself once more.

“Mingyu…Mingyu,” he gritted out through chattering teeth. “Thank you…Thank you…” 

_I knew I could trust you._

_I knew you would never hurt me._

The Prince of Andong Kwon had always been taught that Alphas were incapable of breaking out of their rutting state, but Mingyu had yet again proven that he was unlike any other, awful, lawless Alpha out there. 

He was modest and gentle. He was incredibly intelligent, and he was strong both physically and mentally - enough to rein himself in even during a rut.

The prince had never heard of such an incredible feat.

How had Soonyoung become so fortunate as to meet a person like this in his lifetime?

The gods above were beyond gracious and forbearing. 

Mingyu fervently embosomed him and started trudging right through the running river. 

“I won’t leave you, hyung,” the cook promised with a ghostly breath. “I will never leave you.”

They could not climb out of the water until they were both back to their senses, but who knew how long that would take. 

Soonyoung had never killed a heat like this. He always needed to ease the burning and the pain with a phallic, jade piece and days of endless gratification through self-abuse. 

Disrupting the heat with unrelenting cold was not a pleasant option, but he’d much rather take this route than make Mingyu do something he might later regret.

He deserved to mate with someone he’d chosen with his heart, not because a rut had coerced him into knotting and breeding an Omega who just happened to go into heat in front of him.

Both of their scents faded away and dissipated into the blustering wind.

The rain and the river water slowly washed the poison away, and the farther they traveled upstream, the more his exasperating arousal died down. 

Eventually, Soonyoung could not even feel Mingyu’s body against his anymore. The only thing that remained was the oppressing cold. 

His head lulled back and forth from the exhaustion, and his body was wearing out from the obscene amount of stress it had just gone through. 

He’d lost track of the day, and he didn’t know how long they’d been in the water or how long it had been since it started raining. 

Everything was just _cold_. 

All the fiery heat was finally gone, but now, he was just unbearably…unnaturally _cold_.

* * *

They were out of the water, but Soonyoung couldn’t remember when they’d even ascended from the river.

He had not lost consciousness, but his mind was dipping in and out of a stupor. 

Mingyu seemed to have deposited him against a tree. The bark was digging into his exposed back, but it didn’t feel as bad as the ache in his joints and the throbbing in his temples.

Every breath he took was shallow and shortened by the stiffness in his lungs. 

His limbs were heavy and almost immovable. His heart beat was getting slower and slower, and for some reason, everything around him had blurred into indecipherable shapes and colors - all besides the Alpha mutely shouting before him.

What was Mingyu saying? Why was he yelling?

Was Soonyoung dying?

Was this how waning away felt like?

Was his life really going to end like this? 

Without him ever knowing true love?

Without him ever having children of his own?

Petrichor invaded his nose, and the scent reminded him of the day he'd learned about a fearless boy named _Bulgae_. It was the same day Mingyu had washed his feet and carried him to his bed as if Soonyoung had been his bride.

Mingyu...

_Mingyu..._

_“Did he find you both again? Did Bulgae make it?”_

_Jeonghan parted his lips to answer, but before he could speak, the door was swung ajar with excessive force. He looked up to see who had intruded upon them, and recognition brightened the gloom in his face._

His ears started ringing louder and louder, making him feel even more terrible with the crushing pressure between his eardrums. 

_The prince turned to look as well, and the beguiling eyes of a certain cook met his own._

_Soonyoung hurriedly wiped away the rest of his tears. “Mingyu-ssi? What are you doing here?”_

When his eyes snapped open, the pain subsided, and the prince could hear everything again.

“Hyung? Soonyoung-hyung! _Soonyoung_ , you have to stay with me! Don’t you dare close your eyes! Don’t you dare!” 

He looked deep into the red orbs of the Alpha in front of him, and not an ounce of ill desire smoldered in their depths. This wasn’t at all the perverted gaze of an Alpha in a rut. 

Instead, Mingyu’s eyes were clear with pure anguish, shedding crystalline tears for _him_. 

The Omega had never imagined an Alpha would ever weep so much because of him…and it hurt.

It hurt so much.

How could he let Mingyu cry like this?

A sharp glint captured his attention, and he peered down at the jade ring on his left index finger. The prince then glanced back up at the Alpha…

…And he knew then.

Soonyoung knew this was the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

“M-Marry me…” he murmured weakly, eyes fluttering close no matter how hard he tried to keep them open. 

He knew he was being selfish, but he had to fulfill his heart’s unbidden desire.

So the prince blindly removed the ring from his finger and reached for the Alpha’s hand to place it on one of his own digits. It was a shame Soonyoung had no strength left to find out which finger it managed to slipped onto. “Mingyu…p-promise me… Promise that…y-you’ll marry me…”

“I’ll marry you.” Mingyu brought Soonyoung’s hands to his lips, breathing every promise into the skin of his knuckles. “Of course, I’ll marry you…in any season…in any place you want. I’ll give you every part of me. I’ll protect you. I’ll stay with you forever… Just please don’t die. Please…please don’t leave me.”

Such beautiful promises.

“Y-You’ll…protect..me? S-Stay…with me?” Soonyoung muttered with a feeble smile, voice trailing away into a silent whisper. 

There was one last thing he deeply wished the Alpha would say. 

_Love me…_

_Please say you’ll love me…_

But Soonyoung didn’t get to hear it before the darkness took over.

* * *

Xu Minghao had always thought of himself as sensible. 

Compared to the rest of the palace dwellers, he could confidently say that he was probably one of the most rational people in Firestorm Fortress. 

In the face of turmoil, he was driven almost purely by logic and soundness, and the only other person who came close to his cogency was Choi Seungcheol…on most days. Everyone else around him was not as impervious to emotional disturbances as he was.

That’s why he became second-in-command to a general. No other Omega in the world has ever attained that high of status before him. 

There were only a few moments in his life where he’d allowed his heart to triumph over his head. He hated to admit that anger was one of those instigators that left him speaking and doing things without complete mental clarity.

For one, he absolutely abhorred princes. With the exception of the Second Prince of Namyang Hong, Minghao was quite certain that they were all horrible, snobbish pigs with inflated egos. 

He’d grown up with enough of them to know they were all the same. 

So it was his responsibility to make sure Firestorm Fortress’s own Crown Prince - Chan, would not end up as rotten as the princes from the White Swan Empire.

Yoon Jeonghan and the Alpha king of Gwangsan Kim enjoyed spoiling him far too much, and though they only did it out of love and protectiveness, Minghao knew it was not the proper way to raise a future ruler. 

It would have been wonderful if Jisoo had gotten a hand at raising Chan, but the Second Prince had been too unwell to do anything until recently.

His healing had coincided with the arrival of Kwon Soonyoung, Prince of the Aster Province.

Minghao couldn’t help but hate him right off the bat, especially since their king was overly enamored with the eternally confused Omega. 

Don’t get him wrong. This was not jealousy. Minghao did not harbor any sort of romantic feelings for their Alpha king. 

That was disgusting to even think about.

He hated Kwon Soonyoung, because the Omega prince never once acknowledged all that the king had done for him, and he even dared to steal from the general’s armory and deny it like a crooked fool after he’d been caught. 

It was even more aggravating to find out that the prince had leeched off of Mingyu’s kindness and led him on when he had no intent to reciprocate the ugly bastard’s feelings in the first place. 

How could he not despise Kwon Soonyoung even more after that?

So when Mingyu had left the palace to chase after the Omega prince, Minghao cussed him out for acting like a doormat and swore he would not come to Mingyu’s aid should something happen to them.

Why would he extend a helping hand to some dullard who abandoned his duties without a second thought just so he could follow his heart?

This was not a romantic fairytale.

This was not a love novel.

This was real life, and there were too many people depending on Mingyu for him to be acting like some fair maiden completely besotted with a conceited prince. 

Minghao was mad at Kwon Soonyoung for turning Mingyu into a lovesick imbecile, but in the end, he was even more infuriated with himself for allowing this mess to happen.

He could point fingers at everyone all day long, but it was Minghao who was second-in-command. 

_He_ should have done something to prevent everything from going down the drain. 

_He_ should have been setting the Alpha straight like he was supposed to. 

But now, nothing could be done to turn back time.

No one was certain when or whether Mingyu would return, and Minghao knew there was nothing he could do or say to convince the Alpha to come back if he didn’t want to. 

When it came to matters of the heart, the willowy Omega was undoubtedly familiar with the chaos it brought on inside one’s self.

Wen Junhui had always been his weakness. He’d done many things without good reasoning to keep the happy-go-lucky Alpha safe, and Minghao had promised to himself that he would only let Junhui muddle with both his mind and heart for the sake of sparing his dispassionate image.

No one else would ever have that privilege again.

But when Hong Jisoo had come running through the halls with Jeonghan rushing to catch him, calling out Minghao’s name in desperation and fright…screaming at the top of his lungs that Mingyu was in peril, the sensibility he’d been so proud of had flung itself out a window.

No amount of reason or common sense could stop him from rounding up half of the main palace dwellers and their horses to storm out into the pouring rain, find the Alpha, and bring him home.

Perhaps he really wasn’t as sensible as he liked to think…because when it came to _family_ , Minghao was the most emotionally-driven out of everyone in Firestorm Fortress.

* * *

They rode through the gale and cloudburst for hours, stopping only when they’d reached the quaint town of Gardenia. 

The town's Beta leader was injured and bedridden, but the townsfolk had seen Mingyu fight a bunch of men from Mount Magnolia and run further into the woods to save his Omega from the Alphas chasing after him.

It took another three hours to locate the pair.

They encountered numerous bodies littered throughout the forest along the way - all wearing crests of magnolias and robes from the Clan of Jinju Kang. All of them had been murdered in cold-blood. 

Mingyu was sitting against a tree with his eyes closed, half-naked and cradling an unconscious, bundled-up Omega against his chest. 

Minghao approached without fear or caution, but when he’d gotten close enough, the Alpha’s red eyes opened in an instant, and he viciously growled at the willowy Omega in warning.

“Don’t you dare snarl at me like!” he rebuked the cook. “I don’t care if you’re in a rut! I came all this way to rescue you from your own stupidity! So don’t you give me that look, you damn asshole!”

Seungkwan rushed to Minghao’s side and was immediately dismayed by the scarlet in Mingyu’s orbs. “Hyung! Hyung, it’s us! It’s Seungkwan and Minghao!”

The Alpha grunted and clenched his jaw. His arms were lacerated with bite marks - all self-inflicted, because he'd rather hurt himself than sink his teeth into the unwilling Omega in his arms and seal them together in an unbreakable bond.

“Take him. Take him, and keep him away,” Mingyu forced himself to say, even though the Alpha in him would not allow anyone else to touch the prince. 

He’d been battling with his rut for too long, and he needed to release it by tearing into something else.

Seungkwan and Minghao carried Soonyoung over to Jihoon, while Junhui and Seungcheol rushed forward to hold Mingyu back and force him to take his frustration out on the forest and its abundance of sturdy trees. 

They would follow the Omegas later, once Mingyu was out of his rut and no longer riddled with insatiable lust. 

“He’s been poisoned,” Jihoon stated after he examined both of the prince’s abnormally-colored pupils, likely the effect of whatever toxin was still curdling inside his blood and organs. “We need to get him back to the palace as soon as possible!”

There was too much rain to properly brew a cure out here in the woods. They had to return to Firestorm Fortress for heat and shelter, and all the plants he needed in order to concoct a remedy were available there.

Hansol came riding in with their horses pulling a carriage donated by the good people of Gardenia, and the Omegas lifted the prince up and carefully placed him inside the caravan. 

As they rode farther and farther away from the Alphas left behind, the unanswerable questions between the three of them piled higher and higher.

What had the Alphas of Mount Magnolia done to spite Mingyu?

What sin had they committed for him to have killed every single one of them in such a gruesome way?

Why were they even in Gwangsan Kim territory?

What were they trying to do?

Were they the ones who’d poisoned Kwon Soonyoung?

But what had been the most unsettling for them was one specific question.

“Minghao-hyung, how did Jisoo-hyung know Mingyu-hyung was in trouble?” Seungkwan queried.

“I don’t know…but…there was something…in his voice and in his eyes. When he came running to me…something told me that he knew for sure. He knew that Mingyu needed our help.” The willowy Omega looked up at the physician. “But I think the only person who can tell us why is Jihoon-hyung.”

Seungkwan swiftly turned to the doctor. “Hyung? What’s happening to Jisoo-hyung?”

If anyone knew what was going on with the Second Prince’s mind and body, it had to be the renowned doctor from Lisianthus Towers.

But all they got in return was silence…and a chilling, grim expression shadowing over Lee Jihoon’s face…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm dead. LOL it's okay. I'll be fine. I just need a day to clean and some yummy coffee :))))) thank u for all your well wishes, everyone! I'm really thankful for your messages and comments! They really do give me strength and inspiration to keep this fic going :) not that I was gonna ever stop writing this. I love SoonGyu too much to abandon anything I've written about them. So yes, if anyone was waiting for my SoonGyu snow white fic and mafia fic to update, I will eventually! I promise!
> 
> Mini-Fun Fact Corner:  
> 1.) Someone asked this in the comments, so if anyone was wondering, I assigned the flowers to each of the SVT members based on a photoshoot they'd done a while back. ( Found here!!!! https://aminoapps.com/c/carat-amino/page/blog/seventeen-flowers/rnDr_QdCeux8mdVBzjlDgjrpKn0mxDbxvY )  
> 2.) The places they originated from all have something to do with their flowers. Jeonghan, for example, has his roses, and there is a type of rose called the Moon Shadow rose. Soooooo his home ended up being the Moon Shadow Village. Another example is Minghao's clematises. He's from Sweet Autumn City, because there's a clematis breed called Sweet Autumn. Soonyoung's Aster Province is self-explanatory. Baeghab is Lily in korean, and Jisoo's stargazers are lilies :) So there you all have it!  
> 3.) Besides the main SVT cast, the flowers designated to the villains are all just picked by me and not by their photoshoots LOL i think by now you guys have a good idea which kpop group the villains in this fic are from :))))   
> 4.) This fic has a lot of clues that can be found in SVT's Fallin' Flower. Some, I have not alluded to at all, but there are some future events that can be seen in the video especially in Jeonghan, Jun, and Wonwoo's parts, and it just gets me super excited thinking about those parts and seeing them come to fruition in the future chapters. Eeeeeep!
> 
> Anyway, hope you guys had a fun time with this chapter! Let me know what you think! Comments and kudos feed my writing sprees!!!!!! Thank you for all the support you guys have been giving me and this fic!!!!!! I love talking to u guys, and I will respond to the previous chapter's comments right after I shower XDDDDD
> 
> See you all in a couple of days! <3


	14. Chapter 14

_Between the time when flowers bloom and scatter, scars heal and sprouts emerge. We live for this moment, the first and last. That's why I won't take you for granted, because you love somebody like me..._

_-Seventeen, Fallin' Flower (2020)_

There were two things Lee Jihoon firmly believed in.

_Number 1: Scars do not fade away…_

_Number 2: Time can never heal a heart that’s been deeply wounded…_

Both were admittedly quite bleak outlooks on life and, more notably, extremely depressing thoughts to be holding on to so tightly, but his convictions did not arise from prejudice nor speculation. 

As he stared at the sleeping face of Kwon Soonyoung - who remained unconscious and unresponsive even after three days of intense remedial measures on Jihoon’s part, the physician couldn’t help but feel indelicately _envious_ of the prince.

Of course, the Omega’s current condition was nothing to be jealous about. 

Ailments were a bane in every human’s existence, and Jihoon was devout warrior in the fight against all maladies. He had never encountered a person he could not heal…except a certain Omega who also happened to be another prince living in Firestorm Fortress.

It would be unfortunate if the Prince of Andong Kwon became a second, immedicable reason for keeping him up at night with constant worry, and so Jihoon was doing everything he could to eliminate every last bit of poison from Soonyoung's body.

Once Mingyu had returned after the completion of his rut, the Alpha had been visiting the Omega nonstop. He was going in and out of the room every hour, even in the wee hours of the morning, prodding Jihoon for every single detail of Soonyoung’s health and whether or not there was even the slightest bit of progress. It had gotten to the point where Jihoon had to lock him out for constantly disrupting his analeptic procedures, and Xu Minghao had to drag Mingyu away from the door and distract him with other crucial affairs in the palace.

In his line of work, the people closest to his patients were at times more difficult to work with than the actual person who was sick, and Mingyu was being the perfect example of this recalcitrant impediment to his work.

But as annoying as he was being, in the eyes of another Omega, Jihoon couldn’t help but wonder how an Alpha had fallen so deeply in love like this.

It was even baffling that this sort of love even existed in someone who’d been created by the gods to be adulterous and narcissistic. 

Alphas were self-serving. 

Alphas were not faithful creatures.

It took him many years to finally sear that fact into his mulish head, and it took numerous heartbreaks and a dead family to finally learn that Alphas were never going to love him the same way he had loved them.

Jihoon had wasted so much of his youth, so much of _himself_ clinging onto their false promises and listening to their endless lies. He’d placed his trust where he never should have, and he’d given his body to those who had never deserved to hold him. 

For many years, he’d chased after Alphas and the idea that they were capable of loving. Jihoon thought that, once they’d spoken those three beautiful words to him, nothing else in the world mattered.

He believed he was special once an Alpha had chosen him.

He believed he could be truly _loved_ , and therefore, he was precious and worth something to someone. 

But it did not take long for him to learn that not everything whispered into his ears in the deepest of nights were true. 

In fact, all of them were lies. 

Maybe they had not started out as such, but over time, a lot of things went through changes, and true intentions were one of those things most ruthlessly revealed. 

All those promises of a future together…all those vows of everlasting love…in the end, not a single one of them had ever come to fruition. Instead, they’d turned into ugly little things that made Jihoon question everything about himself. 

Why was he not good enough?

Why were Alphas always hurting him?

Why were they always leaving him?

Would he ever be enough for anyone?

Would anyone ever want to marry him like Chwe Hansol did with Boo Seungkwan?

Would anyone ever be ceaselessly understanding of his ill-tempers like Wen Junhui was with Xu Minghao?

Would anyone ever stubbornly stay by his side for as long as Yoon Jeonghan had been for Hong Jisoo?

Would anyone ever be brave enough to tell the world that Jihoon was theirs - the way Mingyu had told everyone before the palace was even built that Kwon Soonyoung was his one true love? 

Would he ever have an Alpha who would love him like no other?

Was there even a single person made just for him out there?

If that person were indeed alive, Lee Jihoon had given up on trying to find them long ago.

Love had already hurt him far too many times, and one more heartbreak was sure to push him right off the edge. 

Thankfully, alcohol had always helped him forget. 

After he’d lost his diploma, his lover, and his family, Jihoon was driven out of the city he’d lived in all his life and forced to become a vagabond. With nothing to his name, there were no jobs open to him, but what the hurt most was that he had no place to call home. 

The despicable people from Lisianthus Towers had made sure of it, and the Omega hoped he would never encounter those demonic leeches ever again.

So he spent most of his days wandering from village to village, drinking at random taverns, and squandering his hard-earned savings to inebriate himself into a coma. 

No one cared if he choke on his own vomit and died on the side of the road, so why would he?

There was nothing left for him to do besides end his own misery.

He thought he’d finally come to his end when he’d arrived at Cattleya Farm. It was a village well-known for making alcohol, and rumors circulated that kings around the land had been funding the production of a wine strong enough to kill an Alpha with one sip.

Knowing this, Jihoon had walked straight into the Cattleya Wine House and paid under the table for the strongest drink they had. 

Fortunately, his final farewell to the world had been hindered by the King of Gwangsan Kim himself. 

“Are you Lee Jihoon? Renowned physician from Lisianthus Towers?” the imposing Alpha had asked, while Jihoon was half-way through his death wine and slumped against a random well in the village.

“You’re…you’re…you here for the…the funeral?” he had garbled out - if his memory served him right. “Give me…give me a minute to finish this…I’ll be dead in no time…”

The Alpha swiped the bottle from his hands and dumped the fermented liquid all over the ground.

“Hey, you a…ass…asshole!!!” Jihoon stumbled as he attempted to get back on his feet. The world was spinning all around him except for the tall Alpha staring down at him with a cold expression. “S…some of us are trying…trying to d..die here!!!”

“Are you Lee Jihoon? Renowned physician from Lisianthus Towers?” he repeated, earning him a weak snarl from the drunk Omega.

“Yes!!!! Yes, I am Lee Jihoon!!!” he cried out, trembling from the overwhelming emotions taking over him. 

Jihoon had already been drained of everything.

He was tired of life. 

He was so _so tired_ of dealing with and thinking about all that’s happened to him. 

He just wanted to have peace. 

Why was even that so hard to achieve? 

“What do...you want? W-What the hell do you want...f...from me?!”

The Alpha observed his pitiful state with an unforthcoming gaze and said nothing to berate his horrible attitude or his begrimed appearance. Instead, he continued speaking to Jihoon as if he were still the well-bred Omega he once was.

“I am in dire need of your services, Lee-seonsaengnim. I traveled all the way to Lisianthus Towers, but the other doctors there said you left the village and no longer wished to practice your profession. I’m so glad I finally tracked you down. So please, seonsaengnim, tell me...what must I do to convince you to return to work?”

Jihoon laughed sardonically. “You came all the way here…to try and make me work again… Tch. All you did was waste your time! My diploma is gone! Lee Jihoon, the renowned physician you've been looking for, is as good as dead!”

He knew he looked like an insane derelict. At that moment in time, the Omega really thought there was no future and no hope left for him.

The Alpha, however, did not think the same.

“But you studied for many years, did you not? You dedicated your whole life learning how to heal. Why not do what you had trained to do? Why not use your exceptional mind to help those in need?”

“You don’t get it…I can’t work without my diploma…” he painfully divulged. “Being an Omega, everyone would think I’m just a quack… Without my diploma, without proof that I spent years studying in Lisianthus Towers, I can’t help anybody even if I wanted to. My career is gone... My life is _over_ ….”

He assumed the Alpha would finally leave him alone after that. 

No one would ever want to deal with the entire mess of a person he was.

But the gods above had far greater plans in life for him, and on that day, they’d sent the leader of Gwangsan Kim to Jihoon so he could reclaim himself.

“Then come work for me…in a city where blue roses used to bloom...”

"Blue roses?" he queried in bewilderment.

At the time, hardly anyone had heard about the city being built where the Moon Shadow Village once stood. No one bothered taking the route to a barren wasteland, and so word had not spread about its existence until years later.

“It is a safe haven where you can practice all the skills you’ve learned,” the Alpha imparted with a small smile. “There, you will have no need for a diploma, because your helping hands will serve as a testament to your vast knowledge and experience. It has become a home to many, and it can be your new home as well.”

A safe haven…

A new home…

A place where he could heal others as he always dreamed of doing…

Would that really be possible?

Would the people there really trust an Omega to take care of their injuries and alleviate their sicknesses?

“Is this some sort of trick? Why would…why would an Alpha like you offer me a home? Why would you even have so much faith in a failure like me?”

“Lee-seonsaengnim…you’ve only truly failed in life when you stop fighting for what you love the most… A piece of paper does not define who you are and what you are capable of. Please tell me you still love your profession. Tell me you have not stopped fighting for what you were destined to do…”

The Omega peered back at him in disbelief. “I…I just…I…”

Of course he never stopped loving the art of medicine.

Of course he wanted to continue his healing craft.

But…

But this was an Alpha. 

How could he ever trust an Alpha again?

“Come with me Lee-seonsaengnim…”

The king held his hand out, and with tears in his eyes, Jihoon had grabbed it with uncertainty…and in the years that followed, never once had he regretted doing so.

It took a painfully long time before he’d learned to have credence in Alphas again, and even then, he could only truly trust the ones living in Firestorm Fortress. They were a good lot to be friends with. None of them were ever condescending, and they’d long established themselves as reliable people in the company of many other Omegas. 

The King of Gwangsan Kim really had a way of finding people who were beautiful both inside and out. Maybe because he was the same as they were. He treated everyone with so much reverence and so much kindness that it was almost too ridiculous to believe.

He also gave them many, _many_ liberties a king normally never would, and Jihoon loved exploiting those freedoms until this very day.

Every now and then, he would indulge in his favorite alcoholic beverage, especially when he felt morose from time to time. But the Omega was not as bad as he used to be, and he drank only to alleviate the heaviness of his feelings rather than try to kill himself.

The King of Gwangsan Kim had provided him with so much more than just a home, and he would be damed if he threw away the second chance at life the Alpha had given him.

Jihoon also never drank alone. He always shared wine with Junhui and Wonwoo even though they were both Alphas - mostly because those two were the only people in the palace actually fun to drink with. 

Minghao was always too picky with his wine selection. Hansol liked whispering for some reason once he was tipsy. Seungkwan was too competitive under the influence. Jeonghan was a crybaby when drunk. Chan was not allowed to drink yet. No one in their right mind would give Jisoo any amount of alcohol, and Mingyu could not get intoxicated at all no matter how much he drank...and that was just not fun. 

The physician used to drink a lot with Choi Seungcheol. For a long time, they had been each other’s drinking companion, but nowadays…drinking together was no longer a healthy option - for either of them.

They both arrived at Firestorm Fortress the same time. He'd tagged along after the king had taken one look at him and decided Seungcheol would be a perfect addition to the growing army of Gwangsan Kim.

Back then, Seungcheol had been one of five brothers helping his family manufacture the most popular wine sold at Cattleya Farm. Years of hard labor had turned his body into the epitome of a godlike physique, and the king wanted Seungcheol to help his army develop the same strength and muscles the Alpha had acquired throughout his life. 

It did not take much for him to agree to it, since he’d always felt stuck at Cattleya Farm and wanted to see what else life had to offer besides fermenting wine.

Jihoon would not deny that he’d found Seungcheol attractive right off the bat. Any person who’d met Choi Seungcheol would say that he was one of the most handsome Alphas they had ever seen.

But to him, the Alpha was undoubtedly the most visually appealing man in Firestorm Fortress. Many other Omegas would fight him for asserting such a controversial thing, but Jihoon would forever stand by that opinion.

The problem was…Seungcheol was just too good-looking. 

Omegas were flocking to him everyday and worshipping at his feet. It didn’t help that he was too polite to tell them off or push them away, and his enabling behavior only encouraged the Omegas even more.

Even though the Alpha was free to do whatever…and whoever he wanted, Jihoon could not always keep his head turned away. 

He was never going to say anything about it.

No matter how much it made him sad, he was not going to stop Seungcheol from seeking out someone to call his own.

He had no right to.

Jihoon was the one who’d stepped away and set up the barriers between them, and he was going to keep hiding behind those walls for the rest of his life.

Back when the Omega had not ruined things between them, their drinking sessions had started out as a casual way to destress after a long and tiring day. They were acquaintances at best, until one of them - Jihoon wasn’t exactly sure who - had started acting more flirty than friendly. 

Sharing alcohol went from something easygoing and merry to something a lot more…intimate and excitingly heated. 

Before Jihoon knew it, the nights they drank together led to shameless fornication, and even when they had not been drinking at all, he and Seungcheol would still end up having sex. 

At first, it had been nothing more than a means to satisfy their carnal urges. Jihoon had already grieved over the devastating loss of his virginity to a person who’d broken up with him a while back, so having more sex with someone else he might not ever marry was no longer as big of an issue to him as it used to be. 

All he wanted was an outlet for his sexual frustrations, and Seungcheol was just continuously giving him the best sex in his entire life. 

Jihoon did not care enough to know where the Alpha had gained such prowess in bed. All he wanted was for Seungcheol to give it to him nice and hard - multiple times throughout the night, and it became an addiction neither of them wanted to give up. 

They once had so much sex in one week that the Omega had actually gotten a full-blown fever from too many orgasms. The king had assumed it had been from overworking him and was deeply apologetic for it. He even gave Jihoon a whole two weeks to rest, and the physician did not have the gall to tell him the real reason he’d gotten sick in the first place.

There was just something about sex with Seungcheol that made the experience ridiculously amazing.

Maybe it was the way the Alpha would use his tongue in between Jihoon’s legs, or maybe it had more to do with the size and curve of the beautiful cock sliding inside him at just the right angle that had him coming repeatedly and craving one round after another.

But every time he looked back on their dalliances, what the Omega had enjoyed the most was the way Seungcheol pressed their lips together so tenderly and intertwined their fingers whenever either of them was about to climax. He loved how to Alpha would bring him tea and massage his sore muscles after, and he especially appreciated how Seungcheol never rushed him out the door afterwards. Jihoon was free to stay in his room for as long as he wished. The Alpha never made him feel unwanted, and he never ever forced Jihoon to do more than what he was comfortable with.

Once they were both sated, the two would talk about how their lives had been before coming to Firestorm Fortress. Other times, they would simply fall asleep in each other’s arms. 

They never talked about feelings or emotions, and for a while, having great sex and close company had been enough for them.

But then, Jihoon’s heat had come to wreck everything.

He’d warned the Alpha that it was soon due, and Seungcheol had offered to help get him through it. 

The Omega had assumed it would be fine, and when his heat showed up, Seungcheol had done a superb job at keeping him well-fed and hydrated in between wrecking his asshole and easing the burning pain of his heat. The Alpha had cleaned his body, cuddled him, kissed him, and just made him feel so…so _loved_ throughout the entire ordeal. 

Once the heat was over, something had changed in Jihoon’s heart. 

He started aching incessantly for the Alpha’s presence.

He started getting jealous whenever another Omega would approach Seungcheol. 

He started wanting more caressing touches and romantic canoodling during sex.

He started wishing their relationship could evolve from being friends with benefits to something much more substantial and _long-term_.

All of these had been the early warning signs of a greedy heart that had not learned its lesson, and Jihoon had pull the roots out of the ground before the problem could grow out of his control.

The Omega was aware that he needed to save himself from the inevitable pain of heartbreak. Sooner or later, it was going to happen.

Seungcheol was a good person. Jihoon knew he would never try to hurt him on purpose.

But still - one way or another - somehow…someday, he knew the Alpha was going to hurt him whether he wanted to or not.

That was just how life was. 

Jihoon was not meant to be loved, and he had to protect himself more than anyone else ever would.

After riding the Alpha one last time, the physician savored his own release and lifted himself off of Seungcheol once he’d finished. 

He did not linger as he usually did and dressed as quickly as he could. When Seungcheol asked if something was wrong, the Omega sighed and relayed his sentiments as stoically as possible. 

“That was the last time. I don’t want to do this anymore.”

As expected, the Alpha had been taken aback. He was being denied his free lay. Of course that would have surprised him. “But…but I thought we were-”

“Whatever you thought…whatever you assumed we were, none of that matters to me. We did many enjoyable things together. We relied on one another. We helped each other feel good…but that was it. There is no future between you and I, and we both know there never will be.”

“ _We both know?_ ” Seungcheol stated incredulously. “When did _we both know_ there was never going to be a future between us?” 

Jihoon glared at him in irritation. “Since the beginning. We were both clear about what we wanted from each other.”

“Why would you lead me on like that? I actually thought…I actually believed you were my-”

The Omega narrowed his eyes. “Your what? Your Omega whore? Someone desperate enough to bear your children and clamor at your feet while you go frolicking with other Omegas?”

“Ji…Jihoon-ah…” the Alpha’s voice shook. “Why…why would you even think-”

“I get it. That’s what Alphas want…” It was over now. He wasn’t going to fall for anymore Alpha tricks. Seungcheol was only upset because Jihoon had taken back his own body. That was it. “But I’m not some Omega who’ll bend over backwards to fulfill your needs and sacrifice my identity to keep you happy. I want to be more than that. I’m a doctor. I studied so hard and so long to earn that title, and my job is the most important thing to me.”

Though they were not exactly on good terms, the two remained civil towards one another and maintained a respectable distance, speaking to each other only when absolutely necessary. 

Matters of the heart always ended in tragedy, and it had been best to end it the way Jihoon had. 

He always prayed that his fellow Omegas in the palace would obtain the emotional happiness they deserved, and he hoped their Alphas would never hurt them the way most of their kind had done to him in the past.

Jihoon still believed that love existed…but only for the people who weren’t as unlovable as he was.

He knew nothing of true love in his _own_ little world, and he probably won't ever get the chance to find out. 

“Hyung…please don’t send me away again.” He heard Mingyu from outside the door to Soonyoung’s room. The Alpha had yet again managed to escape Minghao’s watchful eyes - Junhui probably had something to do with that. “I just want to know if he’ll be okay. I’m so worried, Jihoon-hyung… I don’t want to lose him…”

The physician smiled gingerly at the sleeping prince. 

“You have no idea how lucky you are…” he uttered indulgently, before moving to open the door and allow the Alpha to finally see his Omega again.

* * *

When Soonyoung finally opened his eyes, the first thing he felt was an impossibly heightened sense of tranquility. 

He was so calm and so happy in his warm bed, and the soothing smell of firestorms was all around him. 

The prince had never felt so well-rested before. His body almost felt brand new.

He couldn’t help but snuggle deeper into his soft, nightshade-colored sheets and bury his face deeper into his fluffy, white silk pillows. 

His bed in Firestorm Fortress truly was the best. It was so much better than the forest floor. Why had he ever thought running away was a good idea?

Then… 

Everything came crashing down all at the same time.

Soonyoung’s eyes widened in horror, and he jumped out of bed as if there’d been spiders sleeping under the sheets right next to him.

He was back.

There was no doubt about it.

He was back in his room, with all his gifts piled up in the corner…with his red lacquer box and ivory comb displayed on top of his nightstand. There was even a fresh bouquet of firestorms on his dresser as per usual. 

His whole room had been kept exactly as he’d left it, and Soonyoung did not know whether to be grateful about that or not.

When had he been brought back?

How long had he been asleep for?

Where was Mingyu?

Oh god.

_Where was his Alpha?_

He hurriedly dressed himself and burst out of his room. The prince ran straight to the kitchen and searched every corner of the cooking and dining area to find Mingyu. When he could not find the cook there, he scurried to the gardens. But the Alpha was not there either.

So Soonyoung began hunting down the other residents of the palace so they could tell him where Mingyu was.

Seungkwan had to be here somewhere. 

Heck, even Minghao was always lurking around the shadows.

But the corridors and the pavilions were all hauntingly empty, and even the library remained open but bereft of any signs of human life. 

Where was everyone? 

Even Jihoon was not in his office, and Junhui was not in the meadows tending to the fire hounds. 

Where did they all go?

Soonyoung circled back in the direction of the library, and when he spotted a familiar person ambling around the corner, the Omega bolted his way towards him before the man could disappear.

“Oh thank goodness, I finally found someone!” he shouted, surprising the person tossing around a hot bag of peanuts in his hands.

It was a Beta - dressed in a wardrobe similar to Minghao and Jeonghan’s, but without the vambraces around his arms. He had an almost neutral scent to him like Jihoon did, but instead of it being reduced by herbal remedies, his smell was more naturally toned down and had the lightest hint of Bergamot to it. 

But where had he seen this person before? Why was his smell nostalgic?

The man recovered from his stunned reaction and beamed immediately upon realizing who it was that had startled him.

“Ah! I remember you!” he exclaimed while noisily chewing a handful of peanuts. “You’re the Omega who left the city in the middle of the night!”

The prince furrowed his brows. “Wait a second…you…you’re the gate keeper!”

“Well…I _was_ the gate keeper, but I got promoted ever since I snitched on you!” the man cheerfully explained, wiping a greasy hand all over his robes. “Pleased to meet your acquaintance again! My favorite food is Kari!”

“…Kari? What’s Kari?”

He cleared his throat and muttered under his breath. “Omo! I forgot it doesn’t exist in this land!”

Soonyoung was just as confused as ever. “Wait, what?”

“I said, ‘I’m Lee Seokmin from Bergamot Bay!’” the Beta chuckled sheepishly and held his unoccupied hand out for Soonyoung to shake. “Nice to meet youuuuu!”

The Omega prince grimaced at the remnants of peanut skins and salt all over the Beta’s hand but grasped and shook it anyway so as not to hurt his feelings. “Uhm…it’s nice to see you again too. I’m Kwon Soonyoung from the Aster Province.”

“Oh, I love the Aster Province! They have so many snacks there!”

“You’ve been to my homeland? When had you visited?”

“Hmmm…a few years back. I was roaming around for a while until I decided to settle down here. I never thought I’d be able to live in a palace like this! Thank you so much for running away, Soonyoung-ssi!”

The prince cringed at how frank and open the Beta was. “Seokmin-ssi...why did you tell the palace dwellers I absconded?”

“You looked like you were in pain and needed help," Seokmin answered honestly, throwing a peanut in the air and failing to catch it with his mouth. "Darn it! Oh! Right, so I told your giant Alpha friend to go and comfort you!”

Giant Alpha friend?

“Mingyu!" Soonyoung yelped out urgently. "Seokmin-ssi, have you seen him around anywhere? Is he alright?!” 

Another peanut was launched into the air but unfortunately, landed in between the Beta's eyebrows. “Ack! How do people do this?! What were you saying? Mingyu? He’s in the throne room with everyone else! Some scary looking Alphas from another kingdom arrived about an hour ago, and they were looking for him!”

The King of Mount Magnolia's men were probably here to seek revenge for what Mingyu had done to their brethren. Soonyoung had to do something before they killed his Alpha.

“Can you take me to the throne room? Please, Seokmin-ssi?”

“Of course I can! Follow me!” the Beta responded, finally giving up on trying to catch his nuts with his mouth.

They weaved through a bunch of corridors behind the library and took a route Soonyoung had never seen the entire time he’d been at Firestorm Fortress. 

Why hadn't Seungkwan ever showed him this part of the palace?

He wanted to know when Seokmin had been shown this passageway, but that was not his priority right now.

He had to make sure Mingyu was okay first.

There was an enormous pavilion hidden there, with massive windows slightly opened and readily available to peak through. 

The prince looked into the room and saw all the palace dwellers inside - Seungkwan, Minghao, Seungcheol, Jeonghan, Junhui, Hansol, Wonwoo, Jihoon, Chan, and other members of the Alpha guard and household, silently bowing their heads as the king walked up to his throne.

When the Alpha turned around to face them...Soonyoung felt his heart stop beating, and his ears go deaf.

Dressed in heavy layers of regal robes and a golden crown atop his head, Mingyu peered down at everyone in the room with an ice cold gaze and an indisputable air of sovereignty. His presence was almost sinister, and one sharp glance from him would have anyone dropping to their knees in fear.

“Seokmin-ssi,” the prince whispered uneasily as he stared at the frightening Alpha in horror. “Am I…am I seeing things? Is that…is he…who is that? Who is he?”

“I mean, who else would he be?” the Beta stated nonchalantly, still picking away at the rest of his salty snack. “That’s your giant friend. He’s the one who gave me my promotion…”

Soonyoung turned to him gravely. “No…that’s not Mingyu…that’s not my Mingyu…”

He couldn’t be Mingyu. 

It was not possible.

His Mingyu was sweet and shy. 

The person sitting on the throne was not Soonyoung’s Alpha.

Seokmin looked back at him in bewilderment. “Uhh, yes, he is. He’s Kim Mingyu, the Alpha king of Gwangsan Kim.”

No, Seokmin was lying. 

Mingyu was not the king.

He couldn’t be the king.

“That’s not my Alpha…” Soonyoung could not accept it. He just couldn't. “He’s not my Alpha... _He’s not my Alpha!!!_ ” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea how I thought this was going to be a one-shot like The King of Tartarus. Wow. Well, the truth is slowly coming out. Soonyoung is shook. Seokmin has finally been named. We've seen a glimpse of Jihoon's youth and his FWB past with Seungcheol, and now, we've set the record straight on who the King of Gwangsan Kim is. Damn. We're getting to the juicy parts. The tell-all is about to happen. AAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!
> 
> Mini Fun-Fact Corner!!!  
> 1.) Jihoon has contraceptive herbs 'cuz safe sex, kids!!!!  
> 2.) I'm not sure when I'll get a chance to expound on his history again so I'll leave more tidbits here. Jihoon was framed for murdering his own family, and his graduating class burned his house down while he was being distracted by his then-boyfriend who was jealous of his talent. A lot of Alphas were jealous of his brilliance as a doctor, especially since he was an Omega. Lisianthus Towers produces a lot of physicians, but none of them have ever been as good as Jihoon. So they unjustly ruined his whole life and would have killed him too if he hadn't ran away.  
> 3.) This is how I envisioned Mingyu's king outfit except of course in nightshade instead of white (https://i.pinimg.com/originals/6f/74/44/6f74442250420ef4c31132901157681e.jpg).  
> 4.) Seokmin's favorite food is indeed the historical version of curry called Kari. He's been to many places *wink wink wink*, and he loves to eat :) I would've put pizza, but it didn't fit quite well into the story XDDDD  
> 5.) Yes, you can get a fever from having too many orgasms. Please don't attempt this at home or anywhere else. Please.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's been patiently waiting! I hope you guys liked this chapter! :D Comments, kudos, subscriptions, and bookmarks are all very much appreciated! Let me know what you guys think! Silent readers, let me hear your voices!!!! :) To my constant commenters whom I love and will forever be thankful for, see you guys in the comments section!!!!! <333333333


	15. Chapter 15

_Between the time when flowers bloom and scatter, scars heal and sprouts emerge. We live for this moment, the first and last. That's why I won't take you for granted, because you love somebody like me..._

_-Seventeen, Fallin' Flower (2020)_

Kim Mingyu skillfully hid the uneasiness in his heart behind a tyrannizing and arrogant veneer. He could not allow the frigid expression on his face to waver, for in the presence of his enemies, the Alpha had to show absolute strength and unquestionable power. 

In this moment, he was the King of Gwangsan Kim - founder of the clan and father of the crusade against those who oppressed the weak. He built a stronghold from the ashes of blue roses and the tears of stargazers, and in the memory of his vilified progenitors, he named his kingdom _Firestorm Fortress_. This domain was solely his to rule with an iron fist, and anyone who threatened to seize his home would be burned by the fiery beasts he’d stolen from hell. Every other person in this place was beneath him, and here, he may as well be considered their _god_. 

He was the Alpha above all - leader of the great unwashed, the wretched, and the insignificant. His heart was black as night and impenetrable. To him, there was no such thing as mercy. He was feared and revered, cowered from and beseeched to. 

Not a single person could oppose him or his commands. Do him any wrong, and annihilation would be his answer. 

_Enemies of Gwangsan Kim - Beware._

Fire hound statues had been placed outside the gates of the city to promulgate that ruthless exhortation. 

Though he wanted nothing more than to see his Omega and appease the yearning in his chest, Mingyu could not let go off his blood-curdling facade right now. There were _pests_ in his home, and he needed to get rid of them before he could respond to the distressed call of his beloved. 

Why had Soonyoung awoken at such an inopportune time?

The king could feel the prince’s affliction as if he were the one that had been upset by something. He may not have bitten into the Omega’s neck and sealed them together in an everlasting bond, but their hearts had somehow coalesced after the perils they’d braved through…and after the vow they’d made to become one in the future.

The jade ring he wore on his left forefinger served as an attestation to their sacred promise, and the only way another person could take the precious piece of jewelry away from him was to strike him dead.

But why was his Omega sad?

What was Soonyoung even doing right now?

Hopefully, he was not doing anything that could hurt him. Now, the king regretted not having Seungkwan or Jihoon watch over him while the meeting took place. 

Mingyu had to end this unwanted visit as soon as possible so he could comfort the prince.

Who knew where Soonyoung might disappear to next time, and the Alpha was not keen on having the Omega run away from him again.

“King Mingyu, it is an honor to be in your magnificent presence,” the leader of the Alpha men from Mount Magnolia spoke as they bowed before him.

“Save your horse shit for a brighter day,” the King of Gwangsan Kim responded mirthlessly, eyeing the men in detestation. He still remembered what their brothers had done to Soonyoung. “Do you all wish to die today? I do recall warning _Kang Dongho_ not let any of his people set foot on my land...unless he seeks to war with me.”

The Mount Magnolia Alphas kept their heads down, and their leader continued speaking on their ruler’s behalf. “We are deeply apologetic for the trouble our soldiers caused in the Town of Gardenia. Our king has sent five of the most beautiful, virgin Omegas in our region to make amends.”

Behind the men, a group of trembling Omegas - three women and two men - were on their knees and draped in white robes to represent their purity. 

“They are all yours to do whatever you deem fit.”

Mingyu resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “So your ruler thinks five Omegas would be enough for me to forgive his followers' transgressions?”

“Our gracious king would be happy to send more if need be,” the Alpha replied with a quirk in his lip - vile thoughts evident in the smirk he was suppressing.

Mount Magnolia was not a good place to be born an Omega, more so than any other kingdom in all the land.

He could taste the bile crawling up his throat just thinking about their plights in that horrible place.

“How about Kang Dongho pay me a visit himself instead of sending you imbeciles?”

“The King of Mount Magnolia has many affairs to see to, but he is doing his best to honor your agreement for the sake of the _innocent civilians_ in both your kingdoms,” the Alpha leader countered with a diabolical edge in his tone. “It would be such a _devastating loss_ on both sides if we had to go to war with one another.”

Of course they would use the lives of the common folk as a threat against him. Mingyu would not have expected anything less from these bastards.

“If it were truly his intention to uphold the peace, he would not have allowed his men to terrorize the people of Gardenia in the first place. Do you really think I am stupid enough to overlook this grave error in exchange for five Omegas?”

“Of course not, Your Excellency! We have come to you on this day, _humbly_ before all else, to beg for clemency. The King of Mount Magnolia promises this will not happen again. If you so desire, we shall smite the women and children of our fallen Alpha brothers to show you how we _do not tolerate_ the insolence you were wrongfully shown.”

Mingyu's frown deepened, and his brows furrowed at the disgusting suggestion. “What sin had their wives and children committed? The crime against me was the shortcoming of their Alpha husbands and fathers alone. They should not have to suffer for the rapists they’d been attached to. Send the women and children to my kingdom. At least here, they would not have to starve to death without an Alpha to depend on.”

“We…We will relay your sentiments to our ruler…and…as for the Omegas, Your Grace?”

He paused for a moment, dreading what horrible treatment they may receive from the men if he denied the poor Omegas sanctuary in his kingdom. 

They certainly did not need to perish more than they already have.

“…I will keep them.”

* * *

The color in Soonyoung’s lips drained as he sank to the ground, crestfallen by what Mingyu had just proclaimed. 

He was going to keep the Omegas. 

He was going to indulge in the company of five more Omegas. 

The prince’s heart crumbled at the painful thought of Mingyu replacing him with another, and it hurt even more to think that, all this time, he’d been rolling around in the sheets with Seungkwan, Minghao, maybe even Jihoon as well, and all other Omegas in the palace. 

How could Soonyoung ever compete with them when they were all so beautiful and so much more skilled in pleasuring an Alpha than he was?

How could he ever think that he was actually special enough to be the only one for Mingyu?

Why would the King of Gwangsan Kim go through such lengths to steal his heart just so he could break it later on?

They were all the same.

All Alphas were the same.

What was love?

There was no such thing as true love.

It was all a made-up lie.

It didn’t exist, and he’d deluded himself into thinking that it actually did.

He bitterly stalked away, no longer willing to hear the rest of the conversation happening in the throne room. 

“Kwon Soonyoung-ssi! Where are you going?” Seokmin staggered after him, dropping the rest of his peanuts on the ground somewhere.

The tears were gathering at the corner of his eyes like a flood, and he had to stride wider and faster so the Beta would stop following him. He bumped his shoulders into the corners of the winding path out of the library, vision blurred by the teardrops ready to slip down his cheeks. 

He didn’t know where he was going, but he just needed to be outside the palace walls.

Seokmin kept up behind him, thoroughly concerned and worried by his drastic change in mood. “Soonyoung-ssi! Please slow down! Why are you leaving? I thought you wanted to see your Alpha?”

The prince abruptly stopped in his tracks and turned around to yell, “He’s not my Alpha! I have no Alpha!”

Soonyoung wanted to take those words back the moment he said them. Even though Mingyu was not there to be wounded by his declarations, it still felt awful to utter such horrible things.

One moment, he had someone to call his own. In the next moment that came, he found out that person had never been his. 

There was nothing he could do to fix how he felt. 

The prince had made himself vulnerable. He let his desires and delusions blind him from the truth that was in front of him all this time.

He stumbled onto the pebbly ground behind the pavilions, hunching over and finally releasing the throng of sadness inside him.

He was so tired of crying. That was all he’s been doing since they first abducted him from Osmanthus City. 

“Soonyoung-ssi…you’re going to hurt your knees like that…” Seokmin deplored, gently rubbing his back in comfort. 

“Why didn’t he just tell me?!” the Omega cried out as he wept violently. “Why did he have to pretend all this time?! Why did he have to be so sweet and wonderful to me if it was all just a lie???!!!”

Seokmin crouched down to pat at the prince’s head. “Maybe it wasn’t all a lie? What is it that you think he lied about?”

“He told me he would live in the Aster Province with me. He said he would marry me…”

His recollection was hazy, but the tan line on his empty index finger confirmed what little he could remember. 

He’d proposed to Mingyu as he was succumbing to the poison in his body, and the Alpha had promised to wed with him whenever and wherever he desired.

How were Alphas so good at lying?

How was it so easy for them to speak with so much deception?

“Can he not still do those things?”

“Seokmin-ssi, he’s the _King of Gwangsan Kim_ ,” Soonyoung stressed. “What Alpha in their right mind would abandon the entire kingdom he has power over to elope with an Omega?”

The Beta’s eyes softened. “Maybe…if the Omega was more important to him than power…then wouldn’t that be possible?”

If only that were true… 

If only that actually made any sense…

“And he…he has a son…” Mingyu had a son with another, and now he finally understood how his Queen mother had felt when Soonyoung’s father in the Aster Province had bedded and impregnated so many different Omegas. “He hates his Omega son so much that he forces the Crown Prince to fight against other Alphas! What would happen to Chan if the king has an Alpha child in the future? Would he dispose of Chan? What if he has children growing in the bellies of his concubines right now?”

He wanted to pull his own heart out of his body, so he could no longer feel the pain of this betrayal.

He wanted to numbed from all the agony.

Soonyoung couldn’t stop feeling so harrowed by the images of Mingyu smiling happily at other Omegas and touching them with the same tenderness he’d shown the prince.

The suffering was just too heavy to bear.

He needed to make it stop.

There had to be something to make it stop.

The Omega prince remembered fire hound pups in their playpen. If he riled them up and coaxed them to unleash their flames…they could ignite like a conflagration and burn his body away in an instant.

Then, he wouldn’t have to feel any pain.

Yes, he should just end it all if it was only going to hurt like this from here on out.

He stood up from the tiny stones cutting into his unprotected palms, and with a resigned expression and swollen eyes, Soonyoung started walking to the meadows at the base of the mountains.

The Beta sighed in frustration, and with the snap of his fingers, the prince halted all action.

Seokmin took hold of the overreacting Omega’s hand and commanded, “Walk with me, child…”

Soonyoung ambled beside him without resistance as they made their way to the Firestorm Gardens. The puffiness in his face subsided, and the trails of tears on his soft cheeks dried up. 

“This should calm you down… I did not like where your thoughts were wandering to at all. I would have been so mad at you if you’d tried to do something so careless like that…” the Beta admonished him. “Don’t ever think like that again. Many more things in life will hurt you, but you need to stay strong. You can’t just end it all now when there is still so much for you to accomplish…”

As they walked, Seokmin felt the Omega’s hand tighten in his own. His entire being evoked that of a parent, and because Soonyoung had been deprived of the familial love of a nurturer, his body couldn’t help but cling onto it after sensing it in the Beta’s touch. 

“I love you so much, you know? Even though your parents did not show you much of that love, there are many who love and will love you more than they ever will…”

He sat the prince down on the bench in the middle of the garden and heaved another sigh as he examined the beautiful face of the Omega. “Maybe I should have timed your birth under a different constellation. Your volatile emotions scare me sometimes…”

But then again…Soonyoung’s birth date had been chosen meticulously for reasons that were yet to be unraveled. 

Seokmin smiled and embraced his child. “I can’t wait to see what wonders you will shape…Kwon Soonyoung, stay strong… I will always be here watching over you...and patiently waiting for you to rise above _them all_ …”

* * *

The Alpha from Mount Magnolia seemed far too excited by Mingyu’s declaration to receive their human concessions. “Ah, wonderful choice, Your Highness! Our king would be pleased to know that five of our own will be of great service to you, and should one of these Omegas be blessed by the gods with a child, we would be delighted to receive word of such a joyous occasion-”

“Can you please stop your foolish blabbering?” Minghao spoke up with a pointed glare. 

The people from Mount Magnolia all raised their heads in astonishment at the way he’d opened his mouth so freely in the presence of his Alpha king.

Unyielding and unfazed, the willowy Omega stared straight into the eyes of the Alpha leader sneering at him and continued talking without fear. “You speak as though you know my king and the desires of his heart. Do you really think His Highness would lay with all of these Omegas like some depraved satyromaniac? He is nothing like _your king_. He is nothing like _you_.”

The Alpha leader growled at Minghao. “It seems an Omega has stepped out of line. Know your place, _whore_.”

Junhui’s orbs flared in anger, and his body moved forward instinctually to defend his mate’s honor. Luckily, Seungcheol was quick to intercept. He clamped a hand over Junhui’s shoulder to stop him from instigating a fight, and Minghao swiftly peered at the Alpha to calm him down with the slightest affirmation in his neutral gaze. Junhui straightened up and looked back at his lover with contrite, but he understood the message in Minghao’s orbs.

Their enemies had no power to put even the smallest scratch on his dignity, because he was already so far above them in every possible way.

The King of Gwangsan Kim himself has been instilling that belief within him since the very first day they met.

Mingyu scowled at the man who dared to disparage his most trusted Omega. “Don’t think you can talk to him that way, you _scum_. You are talking to the lieutenant general of my army. He holds a rank higher than any you’ll ever attain in your entire lifetime.”

Though it was obvious that the Alpha leader itched to draw his sword on Minghao, he clenched his fists and tightened his jaw to reel anger in. He could not show them his true colors yet - their Alpha king had made that very clear.

They had to wait until the timing was perfect, so they could bring down the Clan of Gwangsan Kim and purloin the growing power Kim Mingyu had amassed. 

“Forgive my tactless words and my foolishness, Your Highness. Such things are unheard of where we come from. We are unaccustomed to these… _irregularities_ in the hierarchy. I swear on my own grave that this blunder will never happen again.”

The king showed no reaction to the Alpha’s words, but all the while, he was surveying the pathetic man from Mount Magnolia and the minute changes in his face as he fabricated his words like an amatuer.

“Which hand do you use to wield your sword?”

“The right one, Your Majesty,” the nameless leader of the detachment answered with perplexity.

Everyone from Firestorm Fortress knew what sadistic order was to come.

“If you truly seek an amnesty with my clan…” Mingyu began eerily, making the room much colder than it was prior. “…cut your right thumb off.”

The Alpha had not expected this, and his automatic reaction was to protest as anyone would. “Y-Your Majesty! I-”

His king in Mount Magnolia had not warned him of what to do in the event that this would happen. He turned to his comrades, but they all looked away and said nothing to defend him. 

_Useless swines._

Mingyu was growing impatient. “Do it…or I’ll have my hounds rip you all to shreds and send your leftover bones back to your kingdom.”

The men behind the leader blanched at the mention of Gwangsan Kim’s formidable beasts. Stories about the existence of these mythical fire hounds had been spreading far and wide, and the damage they’d done to Osmanthus City proved that they were not products of hearsay or embellishments.

“Please, Your Grace…I beseech you…” the Alpha leader gritted out. He was not at all willing to dismember himself. Without a thumb, he could never hold a sword in his dominant hand again, and he would have to train all over again with his left…but only if Kang Dongho did not have him thrown out of the kingdom first.

He had served the King of Mount Magnolia for many years, but…but the Alpha king would no longer care about him if he lost a part of his body...lost a part of his worth.

It was inevitable.

His fate was inevitable…

For a moment, the king’s gaze flitted to the end of the room, and the man from Mount Magnolia took that opportunity to unsheathe his sword, roaring out a shrill battle cry as he charged forward.

But the Alpha fell forward before he could even reach the steps to the king’s throne. In the blink of an eye, a dagger had been lodged into the back of his head - adeptly hurled from across the room by none other than Yoon Jeonghan.

Not a single breath could be heard, and none of the Mount Magnolia residents found the strength to utter even a single word.

The Omegas they’d brought in were on the verge of collapsing from overwhelming fear, and neither they nor their Alpha captors could look up at the King of Gwangsan Kim any longer. 

“Unless you want to end up like this pillock…” Mingyu dictated with his menacing countenance, eyes contemptuously directed at the remaining men. “ _Leave_ …”

They scrambled to pick up their dead leader and fled the throne room before the Alpha king could even blink.

With the simple rise from his throne, everyone knew that the meeting had come to a conclusion.

All the members of the clan - Alphas, Betas, and Omegas - bended at the knee before their king in veneration. Mingyu looked upon the inclined heads until his gaze trailed to the entrance of the room. He nodded once in silent acknowledgment and gratitude to his dearest friend, who slyly smiled back at him and devotedly bowed down like the rest of his family.

* * *

There was one last thing to discuss before Mingyu could see Soonyoung.

Everyone had been dismissed from the throne room besides Chan, Minghao, Seungkwan, Jeonghan, Junhui, Seungcheol, Wonwoo, Jihoon, and Hansol.

They were all looking to their king with forbearance, holding in their grievances and worries as a sign of respect. 

This was not Mingyu the cook, who they could tease without prudence or speak to informally.

Right now, he was Kim Mingyu their king, and he was someone to be taken infinitely more seriously than Mingyu the cook.

The Alpha king peered at the map on the round table in vexation, and when he lifted his orbs, there was burning enmity in his eyes.

“Oeseong Kwak… Jinju Kang… Hwasun Choi… Changwon Hwang… Gangneung Kim… And Fu Clan…”

Each of their enemies’ names had ominously escaped his lips, and to the people in this room he held dear to his heart, Mingyu disclosed a warning of what was to come. Because even though they'd successfully eliminated Oeseong Kwak, it was not going to be as easy to get rid of the rest.

“I know we do not all hold grudges against these men, but they have all come together…against _our family_ …Thankfully, their swords are aimed at only _me_. _I_ am the one they seek to end, and so I would never ask any of you to lay down your lives to aid me in the impending war. All of you are free to disjoin yourselves from my condemned clan. It is my only wish that each one of you live full and happy lives, whether you choose to be a part of my kingdom or not…”

Hansol, who’d long pronounced himself a pacifist, only held a sword in defense and never to put an end to another being. 

Seungkwan had adopted the same stance as his husband long ago.

Jihoon, a doctor who had received no umbrage from the clans Mingyu had named, was one who bore the ultimate responsibility to preserve life rather than take it away.

Seungcheol had only been a winemaker before he integrated into Gwangsan Kim. Though he was one of the strongest Alphas here and he had the spirit of a fighter, the man from Cattleya Farm had no adversaries to speak of.

Even though the rest of them had many encumbrances from the clans who sought to destroy him, Mingyu would never shackle any of them to his domination and servitude.

“It is enough for me to have met you all in this lifetime, and I treasure every one of you far too much to force anyone into more chaos and unhappiness…” 

With those final words, the king turned away. When no one said anything, he began recollecting his thoughts to bid them parting words without any measure of bitterness.

Mingyu smiled sadly…but his expression was assuaged. He was grateful that for once in his life, he’d gained an entire family and cared for them with his entire being.

“You really think after all this time, we would just abandon you?” Jeonghan bravely articulated. “I have been with you through worse, haven’t I?”

Mingyu glanced back at the Alpha from the Moon Shadow Village. “What about Jisoo-hyung? Neither of you need should have to experience suffering again.”

“What do you think Hong Jisoo would say to you if he was here?”

Jeonghan closed his fist and held out his arm, vambraces presenting the roses and stargazes engraved in metal. “Yoon Jeonghan will stand with Gwangsan Kim until the end,” the Alpha proudly proclaimed.

Minghao held his arm out in the very same fashion, clematises set forth with unrelenting boldness. “Xu Minghao will stand with Gwangsan Kim until all foes have been vanquished.”

Junhui followed suit with his own inscribed daisies, voice loud and resolute. “Wen Junhui will stand with Gwangsan Kim for the rest of eternity.”

Chan hung his legacy from beneath a clenched fist - a beaded astilbe necklace from his departed mother. “Lee Chan will stand with his father…” he smiled at Mingyu in admiration before fixating his beholden gaze on Jeonghan. “Both of his fathers…both of whom he loves with equal tenacity…”

“It’s so obvious he loves me more. Don’t let Mingyu find out,” Jeonghan whispered to Minghao, who quietly eyed him with raised brows carrying dubiety.

Jihoon heaved a tired sigh but extend a fist with dried lisianthus petals clutched within his palm. “You’re all so dramatic…but I will stand with this clan. You are all my family as well…”

Seungkwan and Hansol nodded to each other before showing a vambrace filled with hydrangeas and a handmade bracelet with a quartz peony on top. 

“You took us in without question, and you’ve never forced me to kill anyone, but I can still help protect the innocents against those who try to harm them,” Hansol spoke brightly. “Chwe Hansol stands with Gwangsan Kim.”

“And Boo Seungkwan stands with the mightiest king in all the land,” Seungkwan gleeful added. “Our loyalty lies with you, Kim Mingyu.”

Seungcheol beamed at the king before him and showed off his vambrace full of orchid carvings. “I may have not made any enemies before I came here, but to you who recognized my strength and potential, I will stand with you for as long as I live.”

Finally, the last person to speak was Wonwoo. “Changwon Hwang really allied themselves to those monsters…” he muttered melancholically, weakly outstretching his chrysanthemum-chiseled vambrace. “I will stand with you…but I beg of you, do not kill Hwang Minhyun. Swear to me that you will not harm him!”

Mingyu presented his left fist. The white jade ring - adorned with golden calico asters - glinted on his forefinger. “I swear to you, Jeon Wonwoo…should I encounter Hwang Minhyun on the battlefield, I promise that no harm will come to him…”

Chan desperately hid the embittered mien that threatened to shatter his enlivened facade.

The Alpha king overturned his fist and opened his palm to kindle a flame in the size of a firestorm. “We do not know what powers they have, but as long as I have the fire of the sun, I will burn anyone who points a sword at any member of my clan…”

Earth and wind could do nothing to frighten him.

But _water_ was an entirely different story…

* * *

He found his Omega in the Firestorm Gardens, sitting prettily amongst the flowers like the elegant prince he was.

“Soonyoung-hyung…” Mingyu said his name in adulation. 

The Omega snapped out of his deep musing, almost surprised to find himself in the garden and even more astonished to find the Alpha right next to him.

“Mingyu? W-When did I get here?” he queried, cutely looking around in confusion.

The prince then seemed to catch himself, and his expression hardened when he returned to looking at Mingyu. “You… _how dare you_?!”

His placid smile promptly slipped away. “Hyung?”

“Kim Mingyu…you’re Kim Mingyu!!!”

“I…I am, hyung…”

Soonyoung snarled at him in the most unthreatening way possible, but it still scared the Alpha who only wanted to please him. “Don’t act all innocent here! You owe me an explanation! You owe me the truth! Who the hell are you?!”

“I’m Mingyu, hyung…I’m your Alpha!”

“No! No, you’re not! _The King of Gwangsan Kim is not my Alpha_!” the Omega angrily retorted.

Mingyu’s chest was pierced by something sharp and debilitating, and it took all his strength not to collapse from the pain. “But if the King of Gwangsan Kim can not your Alpha…then how can I become your Alpha again?”

The prince would not stop scowling at him, and the king could only feel his heart withering from the fury in Soonyoung's eyes. “Tell me everything…start from the very beginning...”

“Okay, hyung. I will tell you everything.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did y'all feel pumped after that roundtable comraderie scene????? Cuz I did!!!!!! I was like, damn SVT really needs to be making sitcoms and dramas!!! I wanna see them in historical settings and just acting in general. Give these talented kings more acting jobs!!!! Someone please!
> 
> Anyway, thank you for reading! I hope this was a nice chapter for you guys :) All the names of the antagonists have been uncovered! Mingyu's whole story arc is finally going to be revealed in the next update! Get your body ready!!!! XDDDDDDD Hopefully I can get this out in a 2-3 days! Thank you for being so patient, everyone! We're in chapter 15, and wow a lot has happened since then. I'm slowly skimming through the previous chapters and wow, I can't believe ao3 changed Jisoo's name to Jason for one of the chapters O____O i felt so embarrassed! 
> 
> But yes, off to respond to comments and work on Chapter 16! <33333333 comments, kudos, subscriptions, and bookmarks feed this fic!!!!!!!


	16. Chapter 16

_Between the time when flowers bloom and scatter, scars heal and sprouts emerge. We live for this moment, the first and last. That's why I won't take you for granted, because you love somebody like me..._

_-Seventeen, Fallin' Flower (2020)_

_Once upon a time…there was a little prince who lived amongst the calico asters…_

_He was beautiful and kind and beloved by many…_

_One day, the little prince saw a slave boy getting thrown out of the kitchens. He scraped his knees and fell into a puddle of mud. The boy thought the prince would laugh at him and call him ugly, but instead, the little prince ruined his own elegant robes to lift him out of the dirt. He washed the boy’s bruised and bloody legs with his own hands and gave him a new pair of shoes without holes. From that moment on, the slave boy loved him, and he would not stop loving the prince even after he was taken away and sold to another kingdom. The boy promised to himself that, if he ever met the prince again someday… he would repay his kindness, protect him from all evil, faithfully serve him, and love the prince until his very last breath…_

15 Years Ago…

The slave boy was on his knees, pitifully wailing in tiny sobs and holding dead flowers in his small hands. The dried up blossoms served as the only tribute he could give to the loving parents he would never see again. 

They were sleeping peacefully now, and he could not even try to rouse them awake, because their bodies were already burning in a furnace. 

Once the fires died and the cremains were gathered, they would be buried in slipshod graves on the mountainside. 

They were not important people, and so no one, besides the son they left behind, cared where their final resting place would be.

There were two people unwillingly assigned to the disposal of the treasonous couple's decapitated corpses - two Beta males with mediocre ranks, and neither had enough power to refuse this undertaking. 

As they impatiently waited for the furnace to finish burning, a bleak concern was brought up by one of the men.

“What are we going to do with the boy?” he asked his fellow groundskeeper.

“We strangle him in his sleep,” the other Beta answered uncaringly. “King’s orders. He doesn’t want another one of those Kim mongrels to try and murder him.”

“But he’s just a child…”

“And I have a boy at home too and another on the way! So I’m not about to get my head chopped off as well for disobedience!”

A third Beta male had overheard their conversation as he was walking by. Piqued by all that he heard, the man couldn’t help but infringe on their pertinent discussion. “Gentlemen…I think you’re going about this the wrong way…” 

The two groundskeepers turned to the newcomer dressed like a seneschal and immediately straightened their slouched postures. Though they had not seen this specific Beta before, failing to acknowledge a seneschal’s rank could prove fatal, since those holding such a rare position often whispered into kings' ears. 

“What do you mean that, sunbaenim?” the scruffier of the Betas queried.

“This boy has no one left in his life…” the seneschal started, glancing at the little boy in front of the furnace. “The king does not care what happens to him as long as he _disappears_ …”

He’d spoken the last word quite portentously, but sadly, his companions did not understand his implications. 

The more sympathetic of the two groundskeepers coughed and loosened the suffocating robes around his neck. “Y-Yes, sunbaenim. That is true…I am just not partial to murdering innocent children…”

“Murder would be such a waste. Why not sell him to a nearby kingdom? Do you have any idea how much the masters of other nations pay for a catamite?”

His suggestion had brightened the groundskeepers’ tired faces. Money had the talent of opening ears and closing eyes, and even though neither of them knew what becoming a catamite entailed for such a helpless child, the temptation of sterling and gold made everything else irrelevant.

“Let me take this boy, and once I return, we shall split the profits. I think we could all use a few extra coins, don’t you think?” the seneschal enticed them.

The Betas were quick to nod their heads in agreement, and once the boy had fallen asleep on the cold ground next to his parent’s burning remnants, they placed him into a wheeled cart and sent him off without qualms.

By sunrise, the slave boy was already miles and miles away from the Aster Province.

* * *

When midday came, the orphaned child woke up in panic. His eyes watered as he sat upright and found only trees and rocks surrounding him. 

He did not know how he’d ended up riding on a wooden cart, being pulled through the forest by a strange man who smelled like bergamots, and he was so afraid that he started sniveling uncontrollably like he’d done all night long.

Their end destination was unknown to him, and without his mother there to ease his fears, the boy couldn’t help but cower and cry over what was going to happen to him.

“Ah, my little Bulgae, I am so sorry for your loss…” he spoke tenderly to the small child, turning his head to peek at the tiny orphan with empathy. “I also loved them very much, and it hurt me as well to see them suffer so horrendously. But I hope it comforts you to know that your eomma and appa are in heaven now, and they are no longer in pain.” 

But his words could not be fully grasped by such a young boy, and there was nothing the man could say to stop the child’s unconsolable weeping. So he stopped pulling the wagon to rest for a moment and took the small human into his warm embrace.

He gently rocked the boy in his arms, swaying back and forth as a parent would do to hush all forms of distress. “It’s okay to cry. You will have to be much stronger later, so cry and cry as much as you wish to now. I will not get mad at you for it…”

The child continued whimpering in the man’s chest, no longer fearful after the stranger had hugged him like his father always did before. There was only trust and soothing kindness in the way he’d been held. He did not struggle in the stranger’s arms nor did he scream or kick to unleash his anguish. The boy simply cried and repeatedly called for his mother and father, until drowse had taken all his strength again and returned him to slumber.

“I’m going to miss wrapping my arms around you like this…”

He could only imagine how the boy would react if he tried to carry him like this at an older age.

The man pried the child’s beloved shoes off and tucked them away into his own satchel as a keepsake. He wasn’t doing this in cruelty. He knew what these shoes meant to the boy, but he also knew it would be best to preserve them for a later time. 

With agonizing reluctance, the stranger placed the unconscious child inside the wheeled cart once more, and with a poignant gaze, he said, “My little Bulgae, do not be sad. You may no longer have any parents, but you will receive love again soon. And when you are older, you will have a family of your own, and they will all give you so much love that you would never want for more. So please be patient, and please trust that I will never abandon you.”

The boy may have been asleep, but his heartfelt message was engulfed by the child’s subconscious mind. His words were there not to be remembered but to be felt subliminally as the boy went through hardships he would eventually encounter.

That was all he could do to help the little one for now, because there was only so much he could interfere with in this mortal realm.

If it had been entirely up to him, misery would not be a plague of mankind.

But his powers were not enough to make such things go away…

The man picked up the cart’s wooden breeches, and with thoughts riveted by the future he’d long envisioned, he dauntlessly continued their journey to the home of the stargazers.

* * *

“That’s all I’m giving you for this mutt,” the Chamberlain of Namyang Hong stated, before depositing a measly couple of coins into the Beta’s open palm.

“What?!” he squawked in indignation. “But this is a child born from a culinary genius and a master of therapeutics! Surely the royal purse could spare a few more coins for the product of such a rare combination of skilled individuals.” 

“Without a birth certificate, that boy may as well have been born from the pariahs outside the city. For all I know, you could have abducted him from the leper colony! He doesn’t even have any shoes! That’s all you’re getting for him!” the Alpha sternly dictated, before gesturing for his Omega assistants to take the boy out of the cart. 

The Beta, who suffused a pleasant bergamot scent despite his disheveled appearance, faked a gasp from the truth that had been unconsciously revealed to him. “The Baeghab Nation has a leper colony?! Oh goodness! The shame it would bring if word of the colony’s existence reached the neighboring empires! Oh, what would they say about Baeghab then?! Oh, this is far too upsetting to hear!”

He put another empty palm out, whilst dramatically making shattered expressions that would put thespians to shame, and the chamberlain angrily growled at him before dumping more gold coins into the Beta’s hand.

“A pleasure doing business with you, kind sir! Please take good care of that boy for me!” the man sheepishly sniggered, as he pocketed his newly earned money and scurried away with his cart.

“Don’t ever show your face in this palace again!!!” the Alpha roared at the escaping Beta. 

After making sure the man disappeared through the palace’s back gates, the chamberlain made his way to the servants’ quarters to begin a more thorough assessment of the child he just bought.

The Namyang Hong Royal Family was in need of a new vassal, and the boy was still young enough to be trainable in different duties around the household.

By the time he’d reached the cleaning chambers, his female staff members had already scrubbed the grime off the boy and bundled him up unsoiled robes.

The child seemed to be smaller than what was normal for his age, as well as incredibly scrawny, and he harbored a face just as desolate as the prisoners who’d been trapped in the dungeons for years. There was not a doubt in his mind that the boy would present as an Omega someday. Alphas and Betas were never this tiny and frail-looking.

“What is your name?” the chamberlain asked.

Intimidated by the harsh voice coming from the Alpha, the boy kept his gaze lowered. “B-Bulgae…” he mumbled faintly.

The Alpha snarled in irritation. “ _Bulgae_?”

It was a terrible name that only the most heartless of mothers would ever bestow upon their offspring. 

The boy he'd purchased was nothing but an _unwanted whorechild_ , and it was only by the gods’ mercy that he had been sold to the palace by his abductor.

“Hmph! I knew that Beta had picked you up from the hovels!” he turned away and waved for the Omegas to take him to the kitchens. “Start teaching him every chore in the palace! One lifetime of servitude does not even cover the price I had to pay for him!”

* * *

At the time, Bulgae did not question why he’d been brought to this place. He did not wonder why he was a servant here, because in the kingdom where his parents died, he was treated exactly the same.

He was being taught how to cook, clean, sew, and do many more household tasks all over again, except here, there was more space and more people to attend to.

The life of a freeborn was not familiar to him, and so there was no resistance in him to do as he was told.

But he was confused as to why many of the other servants would laugh upon learning his name. They would either snicker behind their sleeves or guffaw straight into his face the moment he uttered ‘Bulgae’.

What was wrong with his name?

Why were the people reacting to it in this manner?

That was the name his mother and father had given him out of love…right?

Bulgae was all he could remember being called. 

It had gotten so bad that the other servants his age started making fun of him every single day. The children would throw leftover food from the royal family at him, stain his working robes with different liquids, and hide his shoes in hard-to-reach places. They even poured honey all over his head one day.

The groomers had to shave all of his hair off so the sticky residue would stop drawing flies into the palace grounds, and with a bald head, he became even more ridiculed.

In hindsight though, his name and his hairless head had saved him from being killed.

Because two weeks later, men from the Aster Province had come looking for a certain slave boy…

An Alpha guard of the Andong Kwon Clan tugged him out of the line of young servants and roughly grabbed his face to present to two, chained-up Beta men.“Is this the child?!” 

“I…I’m n-not c-c-certain…” one of the men stammered in terror. 

Another Alpha guard kicked him down and forced him onto his knees. “Look closer!”

The trembling man and the frightened child locked eyes, and Bulgae could recall the groundskeeper’s face with astonishing clarity. He was one of the people who’d placed his parents’ bodies into the burning furnace. But the Beta, however, did not seem to fully recognize him without hair.

“I…I…I cannot b-be sure!” the groundskeeper announced, before shrinking away from the Alpha guards who threatened to hit him again. “P-Please! Please don’t hurt me anymore! I am trying to remember!!! I swear!”

“ _What on earth are you doing to the servants?!_ ”

The Chamberlain of Namyang Hong had come to see what was going on after an Omega handmaid reported to him that Alphas from another kingdom were collecting all the child servants.

“The King of the Aster Province has ordered for the death of the last of the Kim mongrels,” an Alpha guard supplied. “The child escaped weeks ago, and we’ve been scouring the land for boys of the same age ever since!”

He tossed Bulgae onto the ground, and the boy began tearing up from the pain of the impact. The flimsy material of his robes had not been enough to protect him from scrapes, and so the skin of his arms and knees were abraded by the gravel.

Without much caution, the chamberlain hoisted Bulgae up by the collar of his robes and glared back at the Alpha. “You ingrates…does this look like a child with a pedigree to you? This boy _wishes_ he had a last name to carry! His mother was a wench from the hovels, and she named him after a _dog_.”

The main Alpha guard kicked at the Beta one final time. “Is he or is he not the son of the Kim traitors?!”

From where he’d landed in the dirt, the groundskeeper lifted his eyes up to carefully examine the child looking back him in consternation. They were both quivering plaintively, and even though the man was still not entirely confident enough to unveil the boy’s identity, seeing so much pain and fear in Bulgae’s face made his heart feel heavy with contrition. 

“He looks different…” he said to the Alpha men, the tone in his voice miserly and full of grief. None of the other people had noticed it, but Bulgae had. It was not a blatant apology but weaved between the words were the Beta’s remorseful sentiments for all that he’d done. “This child is different…”

After that, the men from the Aster Province never returned to the Baeghab Nation again.

* * *

Bulgae came face-to-face with the princes of Namyang Hong after a year into his vassalage. 

By this time, he no longer needed supervision cooking rice or cutting vegetables, and the laundresses were already teaching him the early stages of sewing the royal garments. 

It was the birthday of the First Prince, and many of the Baeghab Nation’s allies had been invited to the feast.

But even though it was a celebration for the First Prince, most of the attention was on the winsome Second Prince - Hong Jisoo.

All the members of the royal family were very alluring, but there was something about the Second Prince that made him stand out and above the rest of them.

Hong Jisoo looked like the surreal personification of their nation’s cherished stargazer. He was angelic and enchanting, and he still had many years to grow even more beautiful. 

Many of the elders often remarked that the prince had been blessed with the beauty of the Third Brother’s Wife, but Jisoo had more to boast than just his immaculate face. 

He had a golden heart that held no impurities. His attitude and behavior were so different from his brothers, and because of the benignity of his soul, Jisoo shined brighter than every other member of the clan.

After the guests had thoroughly enjoyed the banquet and retired to their rooms for the night, Bulgae and many of the other young servants had been ordered to tidy up the observance hall. The leftover food from the feast awaited them once the cleaning had been completed, but because Bulgae was the runt of the lot, there was nothing but scraps left for him after the other growing boys had taken their fill.

They threw the chicken bones they’d been gnawing on at him, mocking him for being a bitch’s son and goading him with more awful terms.

Bulgae retreated into the corner of the kitchen and sobbed his little heart out until they were gone. 

With the unwanted scraps left in the pantry, the boy cooked a birthday meal for himself. Even though he didn’t know when exactly he’d been born, Bulgae wanted to enjoy a special treat all for himself as if he too were prince.

Luckily, he found bits of onion, garlic, chilis, and small chunks of pork meat in bowls used for the feast preparation, and with all these ingredients fried together, he added bean paste and burnt rice from the bottom of the unwashed cooking pots. 

As he quietly ate his scavenged meal, the Second Prince had snuck up behind him without his knowledge. 

“That smells so good!” Jisoo said, curiously peering over Bulgae’s head to see the concoction he’d just cooked.

“Second Prince!” the boy cried out in surprise, accidentally sliding off one step on the wooden staircase to the kitchen. “What are you doing out here?!”

He merrily sat next to the servant and grinned. “I didn’t get to eat much at the celebration, so I snuck out of my room to eat more!”

“O-Oh, Your Highness,” Bulgae sadly looked down at the bowl in his lap, before handing it over to the prince. “Here you go…this is all that’s left from pantry. I'm sorry I can't make you more food...”

Jisoo’s glance bounced between the food and the scrawny child, slowly becoming cognizant of the situation he’d come upon. “Thank you…uhm, may I know your name?”

The boy’s lips quivered, before he gulped and whispered, “Bulgae…”

He turned away and winced, expecting the same hurtful words the others have said to come from the Second Prince this time.

But instead, Jisoo had placed a hand on his head and lovingly ruffled his hair. “That’s such an adorable name for an adorable little boy.”

Bulgae’s eyes snapped open and teared up at the prince’s warm words.

“Aiya, why are you crying? You’re too cute to be crying like that,” Jisoo chuckled, grabbing the spoon to feed the little servant boy. “Here, eat some more.”

“B-But what about you, Your Highness? You’re h-hungry too…” Bulgae answered shakily, as he rubbed at his eyes. 

The Second Prince smiled even wider at him. “Actually, I’m not hungry anymore, but I know who’s got a tummy that deserves all this yummy food.”

He brought the spoonful of rice closer to the boy’s lips, and Bulgae opened his mouth hesitantly. When the prince had fed him and done nothing to physically hurt him, the little servant soon began chewing and opening his mouth with more anticipation. 

“Thank you, Your Highness!” he said as he happily gobbled up the rest of his meal.

“From now on, call me Jisoo-hyung okay?” the prince responded fondly, wiping away the dark sauce on Bulgae’s lips with his own sleeves. “Hyung is gonna make sure you grow up big and strong!” 

It was a warm promise that had come from no ordinary being. The Second Prince was a special type of soul crafted by only the most benevolent of gods, and his entire entity was full of radiant, opulent beauty that no one in the nation could ever compare to.

However, there was a _certain prince_ in _another kingdom_ who could compete with the Second Prince in more ways than one.

* * *

Shortly after meeting Hong Jisoo, Bulgae met Yoon Jeonghan.

By the following week, he had been assigned to catering to the Second Prince’s needs. The Omegas tending to Jisoo had found Bulgae easy to order around, so they brought him into their fold and trained him up on the daily routine of the Alpha king’s middle son.

Because Jisoo hated eating huge portions of food at once, the prince would gleefully share all of his meals with little Bulgae. 

Once the orphan had come out of his shell, the Second Prince had discovered that Bulgae had a ferocious appetite despite the tininess of his body. But that made him all the more adorable to Jisoo, and the prince soon decided to adopt the servant as his very own baby brother.

“ _Jisoo, what are you doing?!_ ” 

The intruder stumbled upon as Jisoo was mid-way feeding Bulgae a piece of pumpkin, and the vegetable slipped from his chopsticks as soon as he jerked from the shock of someone unexpectedly barging into his room during the lunch hour.

“Why are you feeding him your food? Who is he?!” the interloper - a boy who looked to be as old as the Second Prince - demanded to know. 

“Jeonghannie, this is Bulgae,” Jisoo stated warmly, pulling the timid servant closer to him. “He’s my new baby.”

Jeonghan’s face purpled with jealousy, and he looked absolutely betrayed by Jisoo embracing the small child.

“Ji-Jisoo, no! You can’t have a baby!!!” Jeonghan whined, voice high-pitched and quite loud for someone his age. “The king will have him cooked in a soup so your mother can eat him!”

Bulgae peeped in terror at the mention of his consumption and immediately hid his face into Jisoo’s side. 

“Hey, get off of the Second Prince!” 

Jeonghan quickly moved to pull the boy away, but Bulgae ended up falling into the older boy’s arms when he’d lost balance.

And when he peered up at Jeonghan with his cute face and wide, innocent eyes, words of pettiness and resentment immediately dissolved from the older boy's tongue. 

Bulgae barreled right into Jeonghan’s middle and hugged him just as Jisoo liked to be hugged. “Please don’t let them eat me, hyung!”

Jisoo giggled at the overload of sweetness before him. "Jeonghannie, Bulgae likes you! He can be your baby now too!”

Jeonghan’s cheeks went from purple to red in a matter of seconds, and he pouted in both embarrassment and annoyance at the prince’s words.“Y-You can’t just flirt with people like that, Jisoo! They might get the wrong idea about what you say!”

“So, you don’t want my baby to be your baby too?” the Second Prince asked with feigned innocence.

“Y-Yes, I do!” Jeonghan wailed, before reeling it all back in after realizing what he’d uttered. “Wait! N-No! No! Wait, Jisoo, you’re so dumb! You’re the worst prince ever!”

Jisoo fell back as he overflowed with melodious laughter. “Jeonghannie, you’re so funny!”

Bulgae peeked up at the boy he was holding on to, and just by seeing Jeonghan’s blushing face that day, he knew that Jeonghan had also been enraptured by the Second Prince of Namyang Hong…and neither of them were ever going to break free from his whimsical enchantments.

Hong Jisoo was like a flower. 

He was so beautiful, and with his otherworldly looks, he attracted many to his side. But the prince only ever allowed two people stay close. 

Jeonghan had been the first, and Bulgae became the last.

He bonded with them more than he ever did with his other family members, and it was sad because they all saw him as the black sheep of their clan. To them, all he had was a nice face to boast about, and the rest of him was just too weird, too emotional, and too liberal for them to accept. 

Jisoo didn’t make many friends either, and at such a young age, he’d been wrongfully labeled as a servant abuser after he and Jeonghan had confronted the boys who were bullying Bulgae. One of the servants claimed that the prince had thrown stones at them and screamed into their ears so loud that they’d started bleeding. Another insisted that they’d been pushed into the dirt, and sand had been rubbed into their eyes.

Of course, none of those accusations were true, but the rumors had been enough for the other children and the household staff to stop treating Bulgae so horribly.

Thankfully, the Alpha king had only given his son a sermon instead of denying him food or locking him in his room after the incident.

At least in Baeghab, princes were treated a little bit better compared to the Aster Province, and he hoped the calico aster prince he would never forget was faring better these days.

But over time, Bulgae had learned that the world did not care about people who were kind. It was even crueler to those that were aligned with everything good and gracious.

When Hong Jisoo had presented as an Omega, every person in the palace had turned their noses up at him and labeled him an even bigger blunder from the king’s loins than before.

The prince hadn’t cared at all though, because all he needed were his two dearest friends. 

Even as the years passed, Jeonghan and Bulgae never grew tired of being around the Second Prince. He was such a wonderful presence to be around, and all their days together were filled with joy. They loved everything about him - his smiles, his glimmering eyes, and munificent soul, and Jisoo had wholeheartedly loved them in return.

It seemed like they were going to merrily stay together for the rest of their lives, and for a long time, the three of them believed they would.

But their happiness was not meant to last, and Jisoo’s engagement to Kwak Youngmin had marked the beginning of a hellish nightmare that would change each of them forever.

* * *

_“Hyung…you need to go...”_

_Jeonghan readjusted the Second Prince on his back, before bending down to drag Bulgae onto the bank. “Come on, I know it hurts, but we need to go! We can’t let them take Jisoo!”_

_The Alpha soldiers were practically behind them now. If Jeonghan and Jisoo did not leave this second, they would all be dead by morning._

_And Bulgae could not let his precious friends die._

_The servant kept his weeps from leaving his lips, and he stubbornly pushed the Alpha away from him. “Jeonghan-hyung, keep walking. You need to keep walking. Even after you’ve grown tired and your body is about to collapse, you have to keep going.”_

_Jeonghan was appalled. “What about you?! We can’t leave you here!”_

_“Don’t worry about me,” Bulgae lied - the last lie he would ever tell. “I escaped from them once, and I can escape from them again. I will find you both. We will all be together again someday.”_

_“You can’t expect me to- Yah, Bulgae! You’re my friend! I can’t leave you behind!”_

_“There they are!” an Alpha soldier bellowed, and the sound of their pounding boots drew dangerously near._

_The servant pushed at Jeonghan again, harder this time and with more urgency. “Go, hyung! You need to go!”_

Bulage woke up chained to a slab of stone. He could only see out of one eye, and his jaw had been broken so he could not speak. 

In his periphery, he could see others chained the same way he was, and he could hear their groans of pain and the sound of their shackles rattling from the painful writhing of their limbs. 

This was it for him.

The enemy had him cornered and broken to the point where escape was no longer an option. 

He was going to die…

But at least Jeonghan and Jisoo would live.

That was all he could wish for. He did not even bother asking the gods to save him from his captors.

As long as his friends were alive and safe, Bulgae could accept this fate. 

His only regret was that he was never able to see his calico aster prince again, but perhaps in heaven, the gods would allow him to watch the prince become a king someday and have beautiful children of his own. 

That would be enough for him.

That would be a beautiful thing to look forward to in death.

Kwak Youngmin lurched into the torture chamber, smelling more like alcohol rather than osmanthus flowers, and he hovered over Bulgae like a depraved lunatic. “My, my…look at this _mutt_ we have here…”

“He let one of the prisoners escape,” one of the guards informed the Kwak prince. “We heard his Alpha friend called him ‘Bulgae’ before leaving him to die.”

“ _Bulgae?_ ” Youngmin warbled in delight. “So he is a dog. How fitting! Your mother must have abhorred you since before you were even born!”

Even though he could hardly move his mouth, the servant spat into the prince's face with all his might, and Youngmin viciously snarled at him and wiped away the bloody saliva with a cloth rag handed to him by one of his attendants.

“You disgusting mongrel!" he bellowed before smacking Bulgae's injured jaw.

The servant groaned in agony, drooling out more blood as he harrowingly cringed and recoiled on the slab.

A tray had been carried over to the prince, and there were only two items there - a fire hound mask and a dagger.

“Do you know what a Bulgae is, child?” Youngmin asked sinisterly, but he received no answer because Bulgae could not talk. His eyes twinkled at the sharpness of the blade, and before picking anything up, he gestured for one of his monks to begin his task.

The abbot opened a book in the old language and chanted the words one page after another as if he were a mad man possessed.

"The Bulgae were created by the gods...to bring back new powers of different worlds into their dark kingdoms..."

Youngmin placed the mask over Bulgae’s face as he spoke balefully, and when the servant jerked his head side to side to remove it, a guard came up to hold his head in place. 

“That's what those dogs have been doing for all these centuries, searching for power and retrieving them for their masters...” the prince divulged, taking hold of the sharp knife and admiring the glistening of the metal. “I was born to be a _god_...and now, I've finally found my own _dog_.”

He held the weapon up with both hands, and Bulgae shed one last tear before closing his eyes.

“Your name has sealed your destiny! Find power, Bulgae! And bring it back to me!” Kwak Youngmin roared before plunging the knife into the servant’s heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! I hope the first part of Mingyu's story answered some of your burning questions! Part two will reveal even more about him, and then we can get on with the SoonGyu and the main plot again :) Also, JunHao and Seokmin's backstory!!!! I'm excited for those! I'm going to be having an exam for my online class soon, so hopefully before then, I can crank out more of the story! I might need to take a few days off from writing then, but like I've said before, no way in hell will I be abandoning this fic! Or any of my other fics! Please leave a comment if you have any questions :) I get so excited hearing from you guys! Thank you to everyone who's been sharing their thoughts and theories with me <3333333 I know some of you guys read the comments too, so don't be shy! Let me know how you feel! :) 
> 
> Also, I know some of you were disturbed by how Soonyoung reacted in the previous chapter, and I just want to say, yes it really was not a good way to react...but it is something that a lot of people in real life think about when everything becomes too heavy. I have received messages about these issues that people go through often. Seokmin's message to Soonyoung also served as my message to them and for anyone who's reading this that has been thinking of ending it all. I hope Seokmin spoke the words you needed to hear, because anyone who feels alone or lost needs to hear it from someone. You have a wonderful future to look forward to, so stay strong and don't give up on yourself, okay? 
> 
> Now, I shall go back to answering comments and writing the next part of Mingyu's backstory! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Leaves kudos, comments, subscriptions, and bookmarks if you can! <3 
> 
> See you guys again in a couple of days!


	17. Chapter 17

_Between the time when flowers bloom and scatter, scars heal and sprouts emerge. We live for this moment, the first and last. That's why I won't take you for granted, because you love somebody like me..._

_-Seventeen, Fallin' Flower (2020)_

The Dark World was nothing like the scriptures had depicted.

It was more than just a hell for the wicked. There was more than just tenebrous emptiness and infinite gloom in this place. 

_Gamangnara_ was a rookery of unimaginable horrors - a birthing ground for the gods’ most disgusting _and_ most frightening creations. 

Bulgae felt like he was hallucinating. All the shapes and colors in this realm were nothing like he’d ever seen before. They defied all the realities he'd grown accustomed to in the human world.

There were so many monsters all around him, and he was both afraid and fascinated with the unearthly images his eyes were consuming.

Many of the amalgams had not been crafted by the divine hands properly. They had the least bit of semblance to the creatures in the land of the living, but their parts had been so muddled together that it became impossible to tell which animal certain sections had come from. Some of them were profusely bleeding and screeching from the pain of their poorly fused bodies. Others were chained up and quiet, because they had no mouths from which sound could expel from.

But then, there were also those creations so excellently designed, and they were incredibly majestic and beautiful to look at. Silver horses with wings. White tigers with horns. Black foxes with nine tails and blue feathers like a bird. Hounds with fire burning on their furs…

Bulgae was drawn to the fiery hounds he’d been named after. They were the most gorgeous dogs he’d ever laid his eyes on, and a strong desire compelled him to place his hand against their blazing manes. But when he drew closer, the hounds sniffed at him and whimpered as they scampered away in fear. 

They knew he was different. They knew he did not belong to this den of opuscules. 

Why was he here?

Why hadn’t his soul been taken to where the other humans were?

He looked up from the deep burrow, and past the cage bars, Bulgae found the _masters_ \- the deities who’d engendered all these creatures. It had to be them. Nothing else in this dark place glowed as bright as their immaculate forms. 

They were all peering down at the beasts, unstirred by the asphyxiating fumes and the stench of blood that could not escape this noxious hell.

“Whose champion is this deformed monster?!” a lesser deity, who held a beating staff in his hand, cried out as he pointed his weapon at Bulgae.

_Deformed monster?_

Could they not see that he was human? 

He raised a hand to his cheek and felt the metal of the fire hound mask still attached to his face. 

Had this visor really fooled them into thinking he was a dog?

One of the gods, whose robes were made of gold and embroidered with the petals of bergamot, stood up to speak.

“Mine…he is my _Bulgae_ …” the handsome god said to the arbiter holding the staff, before he peered down at the only human amongst the animals. 

Even from afar, Bulgae could see the softness in the god’s stern gaze, and it reminded him of the way a parent would look upon their child. He knew that the deity was not his father, but for some reason, Bulgae yearned to be in this ethereal being’s vicinage. 

“ _He gets to keep whatever he can take._ ”

The god’s words had discreetly unbosomed his purpose here. 

It was time for the Great Siege to commence - the epoch for the gods to send out their champions in the hopes that they retrieve the sun and moon from the heavenly ethers.

The two celestial bodies had yet to be conquered, and the gods above were all vying to be the first to claim their powers.

Kwak Youngmin killed him in order to send his soul to this lifeless domain, and the mask had been a tool to trick the gods so they could not uncover his true form. 

He was here to steal the powers from right under their noses.

But should he succeed, there was no way he was going to bring it back for Kwak Youngmin to exploit.

That bastard should have put the mask on and stabbed himself if he wanted to gain the unworldy powers so badly.

“Look at him, _Dokyeom_. He’s so small and feeble compared to all the other fire hounds,” one of the other deities belittled Bulgae. “Do you really think your champion could lay siege to the sun?”

He turned to the other sneering gods with a goading smile on his face. “Yes, my Bulgae can…” 

The sublime deity, Dokyeom, then regarded him once more and affectionately uttered, “ _I believe in you…_ ”

But his well-wish had not ended there. He mouthed to the human a clandestine message no one else would understand, and Bulgae gasped upon recognizing the words.

It was _his real name_ \- the one that had been stolen from his memories all those years ago.

The god knew who he truly was.

By enshrouding his true identity under the moniker of a dog, this malevolent being had saved him…not just from the King of the Aster Province, but from the very jaws of death itself, and now…

Now, he was giving Bulgae his cognomen back.

Because after this, he would no longer just be _Bulgae_. 

If he could retrieve the sun and moon, there would be no end for him, and he would become _invincible_. 

Never again would he have anything to fear.

The cages were unlocked, and the arbiter unleashed all the animals.

And with them…Bulgae ran towards the sky.

* * *

There was more to accomplishing this feat that even the gods themselves were too afraid to undertake. 

The sun and the moon were two different types of perditions. One was a scorching trial, while the other was glacial snare. 

Most of the amalgams could not withstand the severe temperatures no matter how majestic they seemed. Some of creatures had been burned away by the sun and not even their ashes had been left behind. The rest had frozen from the extreme cold of the moon, and their bodies shattered like verglas and disintegrated into icy crystals. 

There had to be a way to capture the heavenly powers. 

But how?

None of them seemed to know how, and soon, only the fire hounds remained. Their bodies were hot enough not to freeze from the moon, and their own fires were strong enough to protect them from the sun’s smoldering flames. The same could not be said for their sensitive mouths. They pounced back and forth between the two celestial bodies, but not a single one of them could capture the luminescent orbs with their teeth. Every bite had them recoiling from pain, and they were only going to hurt themselves even more if they continued this grievous task. But the fire hounds could not comprehend their mistakes, so Bulgae had to push their muzzles away before they could futilely strike at the orbs again without any headway in sight.

They ran from him and growled as if trying to frighten him away, but they were the ones who were more terrified by him and his unusual form.

As he carefully observed the two orbs, none of the fire hounds attempted to go near the sun and moon. Instead, they watched him from afar, curious as to what Bulgae would do.

The human reached out to the sun first, and it instantly singed his skin before he could make any sort of contact. When he tried to grasp the moon next, the wintry emanation caused his fingers to go numb.

But as long as his intent was merely to stare at the celestial bodies, neither did anything to harm him no matter how close he got. The moment he lifted a hand though, the violent temperatures would return and force him to flee before his body could deteriorate.

Bulgae turned to the other fire hounds and recalled how they could enclose the heavenly spheres with their mouths, but biting down on the orbs would hurt them.

A solution expeditiously manifested in his troubled thoughts, but it did not alleviate the perils of this endeavor.

What the gods had never realized, was that the sun and the moon were never meant to be dragged away from their home in the ethers. They were permanent somas who wished to remain where they were in their azure paradise.

If anyone wanted their powers…

They had to ascend into the blue and swallow the sun and the moon with their own mouths…

And now, that was what he had to do.

Bulgae removed the mask from his face and ran to the moon first. When he’d opened his mouth and consumed the frigid orb, he almost lost his mind to the pain. His body was pierced by the sharpness of the boreal cold. His skin frosted over and colored with blue, and each step closer to the sun had him sobbing icy tears.

For a moment, the cold protected him after he’d closed his teeth around the vicious blazing of the sun. But what followed was the unbearable burning of every part of his entire being as the ball of fire descended down his throat.

The torture was excruciating, and it was maddening to feel the fire and the ice battle inside him and throttle their way to finding freedom.

Light and cold fire swirled frantically around him without control, destroying his skin and rebuilding it all over again to contain the powers and stitch them together with his soul. 

They were too great for his mortal body. He was not a god, and he struggled to keep the cosmic energy under his hegemony.

When Bulgae thought he could no longer take it and his body was going to be ripped limb from limb, the stars in the sky all came together to bring him aid. One by one, they nestled over the expanse of his earthly form and shined bright to lend him their interstellar powers. 

The violent, cold fire transformed into the uncanny hue of nightshade and billowed into a spiraling hurricane with the human at its epicenter. His eyes were molten with liquid gold of the sun, and his core reached temperatures that defied life and death. 

In that split second before his metamorphosis, the universe halted, and one face entered his mind and deadened the searing torture once and for all. 

It was the face of someone he’d met many years ago, but now it was even more beautiful than before.

Bulgae wanted to see that face again.

He was going to see _him_ again.

So he allowed the powers opposing his dominance to continue feasting upon his body, and with the help of the stars, Bulgae absorbed the unruly, frigid flames into himself.

The cold melted away, and everything became burning hot with fiery glory. 

This was the power all the gods wanted.

This was what Oeseong Kwak wanted.

But in the end, the power of fire was meant to be _his_.

The blazing ate away at him until there was nothing left devour, and when he closed his eyes, Bulgae became one with sun in a phenomenal explosion of blinding light. 

* * *

When he woke up, the human found an apotheosis of splendor in the world above him. The reposeful sky had been painted in rose quartz and serenity - a flawless unification of the sun and moon, coming together beneath the matrimonial veil of the heavens. 

Petals flying with the winds alighted over his renewed form. 

The unworldly burning in his body had disappeared, and a vague memory of that agony was all that returned with him to this mortal realm.

There was no corporeal pain for him to feel either.

His bones were no longer broken, and there were no more open wounds on his skin for his blood to seep through. 

Bulgae sat up in the pasture he was lying in. 

Both of his eyes saw only clarity and vividness, and everything around him looked more striking and luminous than before. He could see so much - even from far away - with such an amazing sharpness, and that made the world seem much less daunting and a lot more conquerable.

He could smell the droplets of dew in the grass. He could smell the patches of blooming bergamots in the distant shrubbery. He could even smell the fishes swimming in a nearby river.

Bulgae peered at his hands, carefully examining each finger and each of the lines on his palms, and he wondered whether his hands had always been this big. 

The rest of him appeared bigger as well. His chest, his legs, his feet. 

What about his - _oh_. That was bigger too.

And he had to contemplate, for a moment, whether his spirit had accidentally possessed the wrong body.

He scurried to the river as best as he could with these new, foreign limbs, and in the reflection, Bulgae met with his own familiar face. There were minuscule changes in his features, but none of them were as shocking as the unnerving shade of vermillion smoldering in his eyes. 

He’d presented as an Alpha. 

His birthday was today.

He had no way of knowing what exact date it was, but the springtime was undoubtably here. Bulgae had always assumed this was the season he’d been born into, and the arrival of his presentation during the peak of blooming finally confirmed his beliefs. 

This was his new body.

This was the new him…

He was an Alpha, and his name was-

His eyes widened as the memory of his true name dawned over him like a bright morning light.

The scent of burning caught his attention immediately, and when he turned around, Bulgae found the fire hounds from the Dark World in his midst.

When he stood up slowly and took a step forward, the four bowed down to him in submission, baring their burning napes and backs as a sign of obedience and trust.

They had followed him back to his home world. They recognized him as the master they wanted to serve, and Bulgae couldn’t help but feel gladdened by their decision. 

He opened his left palm and called upon the power deep within him to come forth and show itself.

A firestorm ignited in his hand, flashing bright and hot with an intensity that could kill in an instant. The forest all around him was consumed in its blazing flames, and the fire hounds howled into the darkening sky in exaltation.

Whatever had happened to him Gamangnara, Bulgae now knew for certain that it could not have been just a dream…

* * *

In the desolation of a forgotten village, Yoon Jeonghan was cutting into a cactus fruit with a dull knife. He placed the peeled pieces on top of the wooden plank in Hong Jisoo’s lap and plopped the tough skin into his own mouth to gnaw at. 

They were sitting under the shade of a tree, hiding from both the blistering sun and the high winds of the desert grounds beyond the thicket. 

This place had become their refuge from the people searching for them. Thankfully, none of their leaders had been wise enough to send people to this barren place.

“I know you’re probably sick of all these prickly pears, but don’t worry, Jisoo-yah. Once we raise enough money selling these, you’ll be able to eat meat again,” Jeonghan spoke, even though he knew his lover would not respond.

The catatonic Second Prince had not spoken a single world since they’d reunited, and even after they’d successfully evaded the Oeseong Kwak soldiers, Jisoo would not say or do anything. 

Jeonghan pressed his cracked and bleeding lips tight and, with a forced smile, hid the painful sob that sought to leap from his mouth. “ _Jisoo_ … Jisoo, I know you’re in there, and when you decide to come out…I will be here. I will patiently wait until that day comes, and I will never let anyone take you away from me ever again.”

His gaze lowered to the Omega’s arm, and he pulled Jisoo’s sleeve over one of the sickening scars that threatened to unveil itself, before firmly clutching his beloved's hand. 

The last thing he wanted was for the prince to catch a glimpse of them, and so he made sure every inch of Jisoo’s body was always covered.

With the ominous bay of a heated gale, Jeonghan felt the slightest bit of movement in Jisoo’s fingers, but before he could rejoice in the diminutive response, the scent of a powerful Alpha scorched through his lungs.

He swiftly turned to the source of the pungent aroma with teeth bared, shielding the Second Prince with his own body. 

The rest of the vagrant families in the vicinity had gotten a whiff of the menace as well, and they edged away from the thickets while Jeonghan boldly stood his ground.

If this was an Alpha who was a danger to Jisoo, nothing would hold him back from ripping the person’s heart right out of his chest. 

“Show yourself!” Jeonghan shouted at the suffocating presence. 

The menace stepped out from the protection of the trees. He was several inches taller than Jeonghan, and his shoulders were broader and more defined.

His skin was golden from long hours in the sunlight, and the muscular outline of his body was snug against the flimsy fabric of his robes.

Jeonghan wasn’t sure if he could handle this Alpha and walk away with just a few bruises, but he wasn’t going to back down should a fight break out between the two of them. He had a prince to protect, and the vagrants behind him had no one else to depend on for guidance.

But the threatening aura coming from the menace had died down the moment he’d uttered, “ _Jeonghan-hyung?_ ”

Jeonghan's breathing died out with the wind, and the muted world was trapped in stillness.

He looked closely…carefully at the Alpha, and where fangs poked out of the menace’s parted lips, Jeonghan had to pause and stare in awe. He stared and stared until the mortise and tenon came together in all the right positions, and like those who were once blind, Jeonghan was wonderstruck and consumed by disbelief when he could finally _see_ and recognize who the person in front of him was.

“B-Bulgae…Bulgae!!!” 

The two surged forward to close the distance and enveloped each other in a tight embrace.

“Bulgae, oh my god! Oh my god, I can’t believe it! I can’t- I can’t-” his words were lost to the weeping and emotional insurgence that took over him.

They both cried in one another’s arms and refused to let go off each other just to wipe their tears away. They had no image to uphold. They had no Alpha ego to stroke. All the two friends wanted was the relief in their reunion and to show each other how much love and longing was still there. 

“Hyung…hyung, I thought I would never see you again…” Bulgae may have been an Alpha now, but he was still a crybaby at heart. 

But that was okay, because Jeonghan was one too.

“Bulgae, I’m so sorry…Hyung is so _so_ sorry for leaving you…I should have fought them off. I should have-”

“Jeonghan-hyung, it’s okay…” he pardoned the older Alpha sincerely. “It’s okay. Don’t ever blame yourself for anything. You needed to keep Jisoo-hyung safe…and I’m here now. We’re all together again…”

“We are…you found us…Bulgae, you found us, and you’re an Alpha now…” Jeonghan moved his head to proudly gaze at his crying friend. “Look at you! You’re all grown up now! You look like a completely different person…I almost didn’t recognize you!”

The younger Alpha deafened his own sobs to divulge an important revelation. “Hyung…I need to tell you something.”

“What is it?” his friend inquired through watery eyes and a bittersweet smile.

“My real name…I remember it now…” he said with a golden twinkling in his orbs, and when his lips finally uttered the two words he craved to unbridle, the Alpha felt a gratifying sense of liberation overcome him. “My real name is _Kim Mingyu_.”

* * *

Nightfall had quickly arrived after their reunion. 

Bonfires were alighted to keep them warm against the harsh cold of the night. There was nothing to cook over the flames, but that was okay. 

Hunger could do nothing to dampen this joyous occasion.

Mingyu lightly rubbed Jisoo’s cheek with his thumb, smiling gently as his eyes crinkled in both sadness and happiness. He never thought he’d have to feel both emotions at the same time and in this way. But thankfully, the Second Prince was still alive, and all that he’d done to save Jisoo and Jeonghan had not gone to waste. “Hyung…you have no idea how much I’ve missed you…”

In a way, all three of them had done something to save each other.

Though none of them were the same people they used to be, Mingyu was just glad that he was with his two friends again.

“He still doesn’t talk or move much,” Jeonghan professed, despondently glancing at Jisoo’s reticent state. 

“Maybe we can have someone examine him?”

“The doctors in the nearby towns don’t really accept fruit as payment.” The older Alpha tossed the prickly pear in his hands into a basket filled with more of the desert fruit. “So we’ve been trying to sell them instead, and my scalping skills can only go so far when people can hardly afford to buy food these days.”

Mingyu nodded in understanding. They no longer had the resources of the Baeghab Nation to rely on, so it was going to be difficult for them to find necessities. “What if we find work to save up for a doctor’s visit?”

“I can’t leave Jisoo by himself, and unless you want to work for Oeseong Kwak’s allies, there aren’t many jobs available within a ten mile radius. The vagrants around us used to have homes and livelihoods…until the Kwak Youngmin's goons ransacked their villages looking for wares and slaves to take back with them. There isn’t much here, but at least it’s a safe from those awful people.”

“How long have they been pillaging through the territories?” 

He wasn’t convinced that Oeseong Kwak was kidnapping people to use them as _slaves_.

_Sacrifices_ sounded more like his preference.

“Five, maybe six months now.”

“It took me a fortnight to get here…” Mingyu swallowed thickly. “Jeonghan-hyung, when did we last see each other?”

The elder of the two fixed his gaze on the bonfire before them. “…Eight months ago.”

He’d been gone for that long?

Time had felt much slower in _Gamangnara_.

Mingyu suspired slowly. He had to tell Jeonghan about it. There was no point in hiding it from his own dear friend. “Hyung, I need to talk to you about what happened to me all those months we were apart.”

“Bul-” Jeonghan caught himself, before stroking a soothing hand up and down the other Alpha’s back. “ _Mingyu_ , you were in Oeseong Kwak’s hands for so long. We don’t have to talk about it now.”

There was a strain in his voice. Of course, Jeonghan was unrightfully blaming himself. So Mingyu was compelled by another reason to tell him about his new powers and his new friends.

“No, hyung, I need you to know what they did to me, and how I found my way back to you and Jisoo-hyung…Just…just promise me you’ll believe every word I say.”

Jeonghan’s brows knitted in concern. “What reason would I have not to believe you?”

“Because even I can’t believe this actually happened to me…”

* * *

The story of the Dark World, the gods, their monsters, and the celestial bodies had been heedfully imparted.

Jeonghan needed a moment to thorouhgly process all that Mingyu had shared, but his friend did not refute anything in his narrative. As promised, he assimilated every claim as fact no matter how far-fetched they were.

“So…where are your fire hounds now?” Jeonghan queried in uncertainty. 

“I was not sure how you’d take any of this, so I made them stay near the old temple close by.”

“And, now you have…powers as well?”

Mingyu ignited a flame in his hand and threw it into the bonfire to combust into nightshade. The emission was not large enough to hurt anyone, but it was still loud enough to surprise the vagrants. 

However, it did nothing to get even a blink out of Jisoo. He was still blankly staring ahead despite the unexpected sound and flare of color. 

The same couldn’t be said for their oldest friend.

“Whoa!!!!” Jeonghan reacted, shielding himself from the unforgiving heat that left as quickly as it came. But once the fire had quelled back into an orange blaze, the Alpha appeared to be entranced by everything that had just been revealed.

“Mingyu, this changes things. No…this changes _everything._ ”

The sudden statement worried him, and he looked to his friend in alarm. “What do you mean, hyung?”

“Mingyu, with your power, we don’t have to hide anymore. We can protect ourselves. We can make our own village. Heck, we can make our own _kingdom_. We can get revenge on that bastard Kwak Youngmin.”

“And we will, hyung. But first, we need resources. We need supplies. We need to find a way to sustain ourselves before anything else.”

“I couldn’t agree with you more.”

They decided to retire for the night, but before sunrise the next day, Mingyu and Jeonghan had already begun planning a revolution. Their steps had to be meticulously drawn out, and with just two Alphas, they knew it would be impossible to enact their objectives. 

Even with Jeonghan’s wits and experience as a soldier, they encountered more problems and obstacles than they could handle, and that was on paper alone. Carrying out each individual scheme was going to drain a lot of time, energy, and money they did not have. 

Vengeance was still fresh in their minds, but to take down an entire bloodline and live long enough to tell the tale, they needed to be smart and strategic about their every move.

For that, they needed funds.

They already had land. Jeonghan may as well be considered the owner of the entire wasteland past the thickets, but they needed more than just the willing vagrants to help them build a new home from the ground up. 

They needed people who knew how to fight. In fact, they needed a whole army, and to feed that army, they needed crops and livestock. To sustain those resources, they needed farmers and herders. Then they needed physicians to care for all the people who would be working under them. 

The list went on and on. 

The two Alphas were becoming frustrated the more they talked about the plan, and without noticing, hours had already past since the cockrow.

Worst of all, they did not noticed that Jisoo had woken up.

The Second prince moved away from his sleeping area and sat underneath his usual tree, mutely incognizant of anything and everyone around him. 

A gentle breeze caressed his cheeks, and the wind brought a nostalgic scent to him as an unknown man approached.

He was not one of the vagrants living amongst them. This person was simply a _passerby_ who happened to come upon this forgotten land.

Even though there were places he needed to be, the stranger had enough time to spare for one short visit.

After all, he had _children_ here _too_.

“Hello, Hong Jisoo…” the man who smelled like bergamots whispered fondly.

Jisoo looked up at him vacuously, waiting and listening for more of the passerby’s cantabile. He said nothing in return, but for the first time in a very long while, the hollowness in his eyes had been replaced with something luminous. 

“Do you think you can help me with something important, my child?” 

Smiling brightly, the man offered an open palm to the prince, and Jisoo shakily placed a hand on top of it.

* * *

Jeonghan sighed in exasperation and wiped at the sweat on his brow. “Mingyu, we do not need a damn flower garden. Why are we even talking about this right now? We don’t even have a construction layout yet!”

“I know, hyung! But…” Mingyu looked away shyly. “But I just want to have place in our home for my prince to be comfortable in.”

The older of the two narrowed his eyes at the younger Alpha. “Yah, Kim Mingyu, are you trying to claim Hong Jisoo as yours again?”

“ _Again?_ Hyung, what the hell are you talking about? Why would I try to fight you for Jisoo-hyung? I have my own prince I wish to marry. His name is Kwon Soonyoung.”

“Oh…wait, so that was someone else?” Jeonghan raised his brows, confounded by this new information. “I thought you were talking about Jisoo all those years ago!”

“ _What?_ Hyung, you thought I was in love with _Jisoo-hyung_???”

Jeonghan shrugged. “You wouldn’t stop clinging to him, and I was jealous. Why do you think I kept flirting with him in front of you?”

“Hyung,” Mingyu whined in annoyance. “I told you countless of times that the prince I love is from the Aster Province!”

“See, you never gave us his name, so I thought you were making that up. I’m sure the Second Prince would agree with me on this…right, Jisoo?” Even though the Omega prince couldn’t talk, Jeonghan still wanted to include him in their humorous conversation.

But when the Alpha turned to the direction of his lover, Jisoo was not lying on the ground nor was he sitting against his favorite tree. 

“Jisoo?”

The kittenish grin slipped from his lips, and his heart was submerged in stifling dread.

“Where did Jisoo-hyung go?” Mingyu asked nervously, whipping his head around for any sign of the prince.

A howling rumbled through the trees, and Jeonghan felt a chill run down his spine. “Was…was that one of your hounds?”

Mingyu paled at the message in their call.

“He’s in the old temple. We need to go to the temple!”

* * *

They entered the small sanctuary, paying no attention to the run down state of its walls and furnishings. 

The man had Jisoo kneel before the altar, and from a pouch tied around his belt, he poured out the gold coins into the prince’s hand. 

Jisoo quietly stared at the money, and the stranger explained to him what it was for. “This is my little Bulgae’s money. I kept it safe for him for many years so it would grow just as he did. Can you please give this back to him for me? I would really appreciate it if you do.”

The prince did not answer, but the man knew in his heart that the Omega would fulfill this small errand for him. 

“ _Jisoo?! Jisoo!!!_ ” Jeonghan’s voice echoed from all the way outside. 

It was time for the man to leave, but before he departed, the stranger placed a kiss on the prince’s forehead and delivered his final valediction. “I have not forgotten about you, Hong Jisoo…I know what plagues you. I’m sorry I cannot help you overcome this affliction. It is out of my control, but the Third Brother has heard your pleas…He has a place for you in heaven when you are ready. Farewell, my child, until we meet again…”

The man vanished into thin air, and Jeonghan came running into the temple once he spotted the prince kneeling before the altar.

“Jisoo, oh thank goodness you’re alright!” 

The Alpha wrapped his arms around the prince, before checking for any visible injuries on his exposed skin. “Why did you come here yourself? Are you hurt? Are you in pain?”

Mingyu rushed in closely after Jeonghan. “Is Jisoo-hyung okay? The hounds said no one else was in here.”

Jeonghan failed to reply after he caught sight of the glinting gold in the prince’s hand. “Jisoo…where did you get that?”

The other Alpha leaned in to get a glimpse of what Jeonghan was looking at, and his eyes widened at the amount of coins Jisoo was holding. “Hyung, that can feed the three of us for weeks! How did Jisoo-hyung find all that?”

The Second Prince would not answer their questions, but it did lead them to finding more and more money hidden in different compartments of the abandoned temple.

“I thought the monks had ran away with all the offerings. I can’t believe it’s all still here!” Jeonghan stated in disbelief. 

They’d been blessed with this incredible stroke of luck, and now, they had the funds to at least begin planting crops and building temporary housing.

By the end of their search, there was no longer any space on top of the altar to stack more coins, and Mingyu and Jeonghan had to heave several baskets out of the temple to count the rest of their loot. 

The two Alphas could not allow themselves to dally. 

Before the week was over, the vagrants had agreed to help with the starting workload. Using the skills they’d accumulated in their former villages, the people erected provisional huts and prepared the desert ground for sowing. 

In the months that followed, several other vagrants had joined their growing community of derelicts. Just like the rest of them, these people had come from small villages and towns the Oeseong Kwak Clan had destroyed, and so Mingyu and Jeonghan welcomed them into their tight-knit brood with open arms.

None of the people were obligated to stay, but because the hounds and the Alphas were there to protect them, they had no desire to leave when they were already being offered a new beginning.

Over the years, Mingyu, Jeonghan, and Jisoo encountered more brave souls who’d contributed greatly to the rise of their contemporary clan. 

Slave traders had been passing by one day, and Mingyu immediately bought the freedom of their captives - a married Alpha and Omega pair. Boo Seungkwan and Chwe Hansol were wayfarers who wanted to see all corners of the world, but their venture had been cut short by their merciless captors. 

The couple had been the first to join the delegation Mingyu and Jeonghan had established.

Xu Minghao and Wen Junhui from the White Swan Empire followed shortly after. 

Lee Chan was a precious gem they’d come across on the road to Lisianthus Towers. The boy’s entire family had been massacred by the Hwasun Choi Clan from Begonia Highlands, and they’d only failed to kill Chan because his mother had cleverly hidden him beneath the floorboards of their home. 

Lee Jihoon had been another treasure Mingyu stumbled upon in Cattleya Farm, and Choi Seungcheol was the unexpected addition who quickly earned a place in their newfound family.

Jeon Wonwoo was the last to become their ally. He’d turned his back against the Chrysanthemum State while the kingdom was seeking a concordat with Oeseong Kwak and its powerful affiliates. His leader, Hwang Minhyun, had been angered by his defection, and even though Wonwoo knew he was doing the right thing, it was devastating for him to leave behind someone he’d supported for so long.

When the time finally came for the naming of their new domain, one final problem had arisen.

“Hyung, what are you going to name our home once you’ve been crowned king?”

“Oh, I’m not going to be king…” Jeonghan announced to answer Chan’s polite query, before pointing a finger at Mingyu. “He is.”

The Alpha looked up from the maps he was going over with Minghao and Seungcheol to scowl at his longtime friend in disdain. “Hyung, this whole thing was your idea!”

“I have no leadership skills,” Jeonghan insisted, dragging Chan closer to use the boy’s head as a resting place for his chin. 

“But we literally built an entire city on the Moon Shadow Village. This is your domain to rule,” Mingyu argued back. “Let me be the general of your army, hyung. Let me protect you and Jisoo-hyung from the front lines.”

The busy bodies around them paused, foregoing their duties to see how the two would settle this dispute they’ve been avoiding for _years_. 

“Mingyu, I would not be here if it weren’t for _you_. I owe _you_ my life, and I want to serve _you_ until the day I die.”

“Hyung, don’t start with me,” Mingyu warned his friend with a glare. “I’m not going to be the king of this fortress just because you feel like you owe me something when you don’t.”

“If it all comes down to it though…” Seungkwan interjected as courteously as he could. “We _all_ owe you our lives, Mingyu-hyung.”

“You were the one who brought us all together,” Junhui appended to their discourse. “None of us would be here if you hadn’t saved us.”

Minghao had to concur. “You saw something inside us that most of us had yet to discover within ourselves. Let me ride beside you on the battle field, and let me exalt you as my king.”

“Kings can be the generals of their armies as well,” Wonwoo stated. “It is even more inspiring to see your own king lead you and your comrades to victory.”

He would know. He’d fought alongside his former king for many years.

“The only problem would be your successor,” Jihoon said. “Should something happen to you, though I doubt anything would, someone needs to inherit your throne. I know there is no need to bring this up since you’re impossibly powerful, but it’s always better to be on the safe side.”

Hansol brought up another important point. “But since Mingyu-hyung has no children, it has to be one of us.”

“Actually, Hansol, you’re wrong. He does have a child,” Seungcheol corrected the married Alpha with a smile, before turning to look at the youngest person in the room. “In fact, he has a son who’s worthy enough to succeed him.”

All eyes landed on Chan, who Jeonghan happened to be lovingly squeezing the life out of.

“M-Me? B-But I’m not Mingyu-hyung’s real son!” the teenager choked out.

“Of course, you are!” Mingyu contended. He knew how it felt to grow up without any parents, and if it hadn’t been for Jisoo and Jeonghan, he would have ended up embittered and broken all his life. Chan deserved to be loved. He deserved to have a family who would claim him as their own without a beat of hesitation. He would claim himself to be Chan's father until the very end, and there was nothing anyone could do to disprove that. “You are my son, and you belong to this clan. Do not ever let anyone convince you otherwise.”

“So there you have it…” Jeonghan pressed further. “Chan is now the Crown Prince of- uh…what region is this again?”

Minghao referred to the map in his hands. “Gwangsan.”

“Crown Prince of _Gwangsan Kim_ ,” the devilish Alpha finalized.

“Wait, _Kim_?” Mingyu retracted the precipitous decision. “Are you all sure I am the right choice to be king? I have no royal blood. I do not know how to reign over a kingdom.”

“That’s what we’re here for - to keep you in check and to help you if need be,” Minghao continued somberly. “I’d happily be the first to smack you if you ever start acting out of line. You may be the king, but I refuse to let you end up like that bastard Fu Longfei.”

“I am not the king yet,” Mingyu clarified, grappling with the situation before it could propagate out of his control even more.

But his friends were already sold on the ridiculous notion of him becoming their sovereign. Jeonghan had probably been whispering the idea into their ears while they’d been sleeping. There could be no other explanation for it.

“Obviously. We have to conduct your crowning ceremony first!” Junhui added with a grin. 

Seungkwan cleared his throat to return the conversation to their initial discussion. “Before we begin the preparations, what will be our kingdom’s name?”

Mingyu already had the perfect name in mind. “The Moon Shadow Nation.”

Jeonghan faked gagging on his own tongue. He did not want to doom their new home with the name his ancestors had lazily come up with. “Any other suggestions?”

“How about the Bulgae Nation?” Chan proposed. By now, everyone knew about Mingyu's history and all that he'd been through, and their youngest was his most avid admirer.

“The Fire Nation?” Hansol revised unconfidently, squinting at his own quirky suggestion. “The Fire _Country_?”

“Not scary enough,” Junhui voiced his honest opinion. “The citizens don’t enjoy looking at the city gates from the outside because they feel like they’re going to be murdered once they enter. So the kingdom should have a name that strikes that very same fear in the hearts of our enemies."

"To be honest, I felt that too," Wonwoo confessed. 

More proposals were tossed around, and all the while, Mingyu's thoughts were slowly occupied by the prince he’d loved for as long as he could remember. Perhaps if he became king, it wouldn’t be so preposterous to imagine that a union could actually happen between them. 

He wanted to be a strong husband, should he ever receive the chance to be one. He wanted to be powerful and feared by his enemies, so no one would even dare to touch the people in his domain. 

But would Kwon Soonyoung ever love him in return?

What flower could he offer to someone who had fields full of beautiful calico asters?

Mingyu’s lips curled into an indulgent smile.

The answer lied in the palm of his hands…and the flowers that shared the same name with his empyrean gifts. 

“Firestorm…”

The room fell into silence, and the delegation looked upon their chosen ruler as he made his first proclamation.

“The name of our great kingdom is _Firestorm Fortress_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case anyone was wondering, the money Seokmin had given Jisoo in the temple was the money he got from selling Bulgae to the Chamberlain of Namyang Hong all those years ago. Thank you for reading, everyone! I struggled writing this chapter because of some personal things that had troubled me these past few days. I'm still in the process of emotional healing, but I'm getting there, guys! So thank you for being so patient with me! 
> 
> The song I listened to while writing this chapter was Requiem der Morgenrote by Linked Horizon (hello fellow, SNK fans!!!). I think it just fit Bulgae's childhood with Jeonghan and Jisoo as they transitioned into their horrible adulthood. Have a listen and let me know if it hurt for you guys as much as it did for me :))))) [Link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYV-LUQJrVE ]
> 
> Thank you again to everyone who's been following this fic! Leave kudos, theories, comments, twitter shoutouts, bookmarks, and subscriptions if you can :D Thank you, thank you, thank you so much!!!!!!! 
> 
> See you again soon! ;)


	18. Chapter 18

_Between the time when flowers bloom and scatter, scars heal and sprouts emerge. We live for this moment, the first and last. That's why I won't take you for granted, because you love somebody like me..._

_-Seventeen, Fallin' Flower (2020)_

The end of the diegesis brought the Prince of Andong Kwon and the King of Gwangsan Kim into eventide. 

The moon had taken over the heavens, glowing with quiet power over the darkness - ameliorated by its legion of stars in the sky.

Soonyoung had been sitting on the bench throughout the story, nothing short of an arm’s distance away from the Alpha who’d hidden the truth from him all this time. But now, he could not even be angry with Mingyu. 

His narrative could not have been a fabrication. The prince did not consider himself exceptionally brilliant, but even he would be able to differentiate fact from fiction. 

He even believed the Alpha’s story of _Gamangnara_ , because there was no way the fire hounds he’d seen were products of this mortal world. 

Still, the Omega had so many questions, but there was something else he needed more than for his queries to be answered.

He stood up and turned to Mingyu, and with his gaze lowered in humility, the prince lowered himself to the ground.

The king gaped in alarm, eyes widening as he leaped off the bench to stop Soonyoung from kneeling right before him. “Hyung, what are you doing?!”

His head refused to move from its downward cant, and the Omega winced as he gently pushed away at the hands trying to pick him up. His rightful place right now was on the cobblestone. “ _Your Highness_ , I am humbly surrendering myself to you for atonement! Let me seek your pardon on my kingdom’s behalf!”

Mingyu took a step back, unhappily peering down at the prince. “Soonyoung-hyung…why are you addressing me like that? Didn’t you agree to call me by my name? Am I really not your Alpha anymore?”

How can Soonyoung expect such a thing after everything he’d just been told?

The world had already taken so much from him. His own wicked father had hunted Mingyu down for _years_ and labeled his entire family as mongrels and traitors to the crown. 

He could never ask for anything from Kim Mingyu ever again - not his kindness, not his heart, and most certainly not a lifetime by his side.

Soonyoung deserved none of it.

“N-No…” he answered heart-wrenchingly. “I can no longer think of you in that way…”

The Alpha did not favor his response at all, but his voice remained tender despite the deepening frown on his face. “Soonyoung-hyung…if this is about what your father had done, know that I hold no ill-will against you. _He_ was the one who wrongfully killed my parents, _not you_.”

“But I must fulfill the reparations my kingdom has owed you for so long! I am the Prince of the Aster Province. The burden is mine to carry,” the Omega said, trembling as he tightly held back the desire to weep. “Now I understand why you brought me here…I will not run from you again. I will not deny you whatever you wish to do with my mind and body. If…if bearing your children will alleviate even the slightest bit of pain in your heart, I will do so as many times as you want.”

“You think…you really think I brought you here for that?” the edge of Mingyu’s tone was losing its softness. “To extract my twisted revenge on your father by forcing _you_ to carry my children?!”

Soonyoung could almost smell the anger slowly rising from the Alpha, and he automatically bowed even lower. “That is how most kings punish the Omegas of enemy clans…”

“After telling you everything… _that_ is what you think. Even after I poured my heart out to you…and ever after I told you how I’ve loved you for so long…” 

His teeth were bared, and for the very first time, Mingyu _leered_ at the Omega prince. “When I found out Kwak Youngmin was marrying another Omega, I pitied the poor soul doomed to be stuck with him forever. But when I found out it was you, I…I almost went mad. I couldn’t let that sick bastard lay a single finger on you. So we attacked Osmanthus City. I plunged my blade into Kwak Youngmin’s heart and ended their vile clan with him. But even that wasn’t enough for me, and do you know why?”

The Omega stayed mum, eyes fixated on the king’s shoes. He did not want to move or speak and further vex the Alpha. Soonyoung had already done enough to aggravate him. It would be better to stay quiet and allow him to vent all his discontent. The prince was willing to receive every bit of it.

“Because when I finally saw you again after all those years…and you wearing the exact same wedding robes they’d dressed Jisoo-hyung in before they had him stoned…I just couldn’t- I couldn’t take it. I couldn’t bear the thought of them ruining you the same way they ruined Jisoo-hyung. So I snapped. Knowing what those disgusting robes represented, I had to tear them off your body. I’m sorry I did something so disrespectful to you, hyung. I couldn't… I couldn’t let you wear osmanthus blossoms one second longer after seeing them on you. Kwak Youngmin had never intended to marry you…he and his men were going to rape and torture you and then destroy your home to show off his power to his allies, and I couldn’t let him do that to someone so dear to me again…”

The acridity in Mingyu’s voice was melting away. His forbearing nature had always been the strongest whenever he was with the Omega prince, but even he had his limits. Even he could get angry and feel hurt.

“I…did not wish to send you back to the Aster Province at first, because Minghao told me Omegas of the court may only be betrothed once, and even if the marriage does not go through, they can never be engaged to marry ever again. It pained me to think you would be unwanted by suitors or even disowned by your parents. At least in Firestorm Fortress, you would never be forced out of the palace.”

Even though Mingyu had calmed down, the heavy emotions could still be heard in his words.

Soonyoung could feel them in his own heart, and the Alpha didn’t even have to say a single thing for the prince to know. There was a linkage between their emotions now, and he was certain that Mingyu could feel it too.

It could not have been a mating bond, because Mingyu had never bitten into his neck.

But something was there, deep inside their very souls, and it had tied them down together so tightly and so intimately that it was too painful just thinking about breaking it apart.

“But then, you said you felt trapped here, and you wanted to go home. When you asked me to go with you…when you asked me to live with you, I couldn’t say no. You even asked me to marry you, and even if I had to abandon my kingdom…even if you would never love me in return, I was ready to throw it all away just to be with you. I loved you so much…I still love you so much, and all I can see is you…”

By now, the king was more upset than angry, but he had yet to regain control over his oppressing aura. 

The prince’s lips were still pressed tight, and his gaze was still cast down. 

Something cracked inside Mingyu's chest.

Was Soonyoung really not going to say anything to him?

Why was his Omega being so cruel?

Why was he suppressing his feelings?

He knew the prince loved him in return, but why was he fighting his own heart?

Had Soonyoung really set his mind on the idea that he was just like every other moronic Alpha out there?

Mingyu’s brows knitted, and his expression became increasingly morose. “Even after all that…you still think of me as some _perverted brute_.”

He seized the Omega’s chin and lifted his face, forcing their eyes to meet. 

“So maybe I really should start acting like the savage you expect me to be.”

* * *

Soonyoung said nothing as Mingyu dragged him by the arm to his assigned boudoir.

He said nothing as the Alpha pushed him onto the bed he’d slept alone in for weeks and unfastened the outermost layer of his regal robes. 

The prince remained unmoving as Mingyu climbed on top of him and proceeded to undo the belt around his waist, opening Soonyoung's garments layer by layer. 

The moment he had dreaded for so long had finally come - the King of Gwangsan Kim was hovering over him, ready to steal his virtue.

His heart was pounding, and his breathing was unsteady. 

But unlike before, the Omega was no longer afraid of what would happen to him. It would even make him feel better if Mingyu just took him without clemency. He would allow the Alpha to be as brutal as he wanted - in whatever way he desired - and abuse his organs until Soonyoung no longer possessed any vigor. However, simply letting the king ravage his body would hardly be enough to compensate for all the suffering he and Andong Kwon had subjected him to.

He was ready to become a helot - lower than even the newest concubines and whose only goal in life was to please the king with whatever means necessary.

He was ready to become expectant and love every child they would create with every fiber of his being. 

Whatever Mingyu wanted, Soonyoung would give him. 

That was the only way he could seek exoneration for his clan. 

“If you still choose to stay quiet, I’m going to do it…” the Alpha said with cold fire smoldering in his orbs. His hand tightened around the last strand holding Soonyoung’s inner robes closed. “I’m going to sodomize you, and once I start, you won’t be able to stop me. Even if you scream for help, no one will save you.”

The prince shut his eyes and turned his face away.

“This is your last chance. I’m going to make you do all sorts of filthy things to desecrate your own body and pleasure me. I’m going to make sure the entire palace hears your pleas for respite. I will make you cry from all the despicable acts you’ll be performing, and once I’m done with you, everyone will know that you’ve been reduced to nothing more than a dune for my release. Should I bite your neck too? Just to humiliate you further? Is that what you want? _Soonyoung_?”

Why did Mingyu have to keep threatening him like this? Why did he seem to be getting angrier and angrier as the seconds passed?

The prince had already promised he would not deny the king anything. He was staying silent, and he was lying limp like the good, submissive Omega all Alphas wanted. 

What else did he need to do?

Was this how copulation always started?

He couldn’t recall his tutors saying anything about having lengthy discussions before the insertion. 

“ _Answer me, Omega._ ”

His eyes flew open. 

It was an Alpha command. 

The words burrowed deep into his bones and rattled through his entire form, and before they could even begin to rake over his skin and force him to respond, his response was already soaring out of his mouth. 

“ _Yes, Alpha. If it makes you happy, I will endure it all._ ”

Like so many other things he’d said before, Soonyoung’s answer did nothing to appease those around him. His tutors had probably been right to tell him to stay quiet, not because he was an Omega, but because he knew nothing about soothing tempers and reclaiming peace.

Mingyu scowled at him in fury, before climbing off the bed and throwing his discarded outer robe over the prince’s almost-naked figure. He then left the room with a harsh slam of the sliding door, leaving Soonyoung flushed pink and confused about what had just happened. 

* * *

In another part of the palace, a different couple was having a private moment to themselves as well. They, however, had no room for baleful, wordy foreplay and preferred more sensual touches and heavy petting between them as a prelude to their unrestrained coition. 

Minghao had Junhui pressed back against the headboard of their shared bed, keeping both hands planted on the Alpha's shoulders as they roughly licked and nipped at each other’s lips. 

It wasn’t the tender kind of kissing. There was nothing playful in the way their mouths were grazing over the expanse of one another's jawlines, necks, and collarbones. Junhui’s hands were nowhere near gentle as they grabbed hold Minghao’s ass and forced him to swivel his hips over the Alpha’s clothed crotch harder. 

This was them letting loose and unbridling themselves from the stress of work, and taking out their frustrations on each other’s bodies brought on an entirely different level of satisfaction for the two of them. 

There were many times where either Minghao or Junhui would be aggravated after a long day, and the gratifying, rhythmic pounding of shameless sex made every problem more tolerable to deal with.

It was a bad habit they’d picked up in the White Swan Empire, but neither one of them wanted to rid themselves of this particularly sinful vice. 

Their current position was quite suggestive of how the Omega was going to have his fill tonight. There was something so liberating about riding a cock instead of just lying on his back or being on his hands and knees passively getting thrusted into. He could never get enough of the arousing, painful stretch of his hole as he descended onto the thick girth of a fully erect cock. 

But he also did enjoy indulging his Alpha’s urges - sucking Junhui's dick and holding his own ass cheeks apart as Junhui rammed into him repeatedly.

He was only going to let this specific man penetrate him and abuse his flesh like this. There were no exceptions to this rule, and the both of them agreed that no one else would ever be welcomed to disrupt their relationship or join them in their bedroom activities. 

Junhui also liked wrestling for dominance every now and then, just to get on Minghao’s nerves and make things even more heated between them. But for today, he was going to simply watch his Omega slide up and down his cock at the angle and pace that gave him the most satisfaction. 

Or…at least that had been the initial plan…

The sudden banging on the door startled the couple out of their sexual roughhousing.

“ _Minghao? Minghao, are you still awake? It’s me, Mingyu!_ ”

The willowy Omega rolled his eyes, before continuing his assault on Junhui’s neck and ignoring the interloper and his knocks that were getting louder and louder. He wasn’t about to redo layers of robes and waste a perfectly good night to have sex just so Mingyu could talk his ear off about Kwon Soonyoung this and Kwon Soonyoung that.

“ _Are you busy with Junhui-hyung right now? It’s okay, I’ll wait here until you’re done!_ ”

“You have got to be kidding me!” Minghao cried out in irritation, just about ready to bury the intruding Alpha alive. 

Junhui bucked up into the Omega’s hips to make lose balance and fall forward into his awaiting arms. Even though he would never admit it, cuddling always helped quell Minghao’s bad moods. “Hao Hao, your friend must be in dire need of your assistance.”

“And I’m in dire need of an orgasm!” Minghao countered, stubbornly holding on to his wrath despite being subdued by the calming scent of his Alpha. “Mingyu can rot outside. We’re in the middle of something here.”

“But Minghao, what if it’s really important?”

The Omega pulled at the waistband of Junhui’s trousers to check if he was still hard, and the sight of the Alpha’s softening dick made him venomously scowl in the direction of the door and roll onto his side of the bed. 

“Fine then! _You_ can spend all night listening to his whining! I’m going to sleep!” he stated before curling up in a blanket and turning away from his lover. 

Junhui sighed and patiently said, “Alright, have a good night, Hao Hao,” before planting a loving kiss on Minghao’s temple and putting on his outermost layers of clothes.

He slid the door to their room shut, careful not to be too loud, and smiled pleasantly at the underdressed Alpha waiting outside. Junhui had never been one to hold grudges - that was in Minghao’s repertoire. “Good evening, Mingyu…”

The King of Gwangsan Kim was surprised to see him come out. “Junhui-hyung, is Minghao okay?”

The older Alpha nodded reassuringly. “He’s just mad because he’s horny, but he’ll be fine tomorrow.”

“Oh, but hyung, I was willing to wait until you were both finished jostling each other’s organs into submission,” Mingyu said with a rueful expression. 

Junhui chortled at the younger Alpha’s choice of words, but _jostling_ was actually very accurate. There was a reason why he and Minghao weren’t allowed to have sex in tubs anymore. 

“Uhm…it doesn’t work that way, Mingyu. I mean, personally, I wouldn’t want my Omega talking to another Alpha right after sharing an intimate moment together.”

Mingyu blinked rapidly at the thought and then assented. “You’re right, hyung. I’m very sorry about that. I meant no disrespect.”

“I know you never do.” Junhui motioned for them to start moving. “Now walk with me. Tell hyung what it is that’s troubling you.”

“It’s Soonyoung-hyung…you know, as usual,” the king answered solemnly like the dejected puppy he was.

The older of the two suspired heavily, very much aware of their ruler’s ongoing difficulties dealing with the prince. “I really wouldn’t have expected anything besides him. Mingyu, you do know that now is the most crucial time to actually tell him everything, right? You really don’t want that mess in Gardenia to happen again, do you?”

“But I already did tell him everything, hyung. I promise I did…but…but I don’t understand why he thinks I’m a sex maniac.”

Junhui had to stifle his laughter. “ _You_? _A sex maniac_? But you’re almost more virtuous than the temple monks!”

It was a well-known fact that Mingyu was still a virgin, and even when he was in a rut, he chose to destroy nature rather than give in to the temptation of fondling himself.

When their king said he only wanted Kwon Soonyoung, he really meant it. 

“I know, hyung! He even offered to bear children for me just so I could forgive his clan's transgressions. He actually thought I had taken him here for that sole purpose! Be honest with me, hyung. Do I seem like the type of Alpha who would do that kind of thing?”

“No…no, I don’t think so,” Junhui answered pensively. “But you do look quite domineering. If I didn’t know you any better, I would have assumed you plowed through concubines every hour. Also, I think Omegas are always deathly afraid of you when they first meet you. Except for Minghao. He’s never been afraid of Alphas.”

They stopped walking after their long strides had taken them to the back of the palace. 

“What should I do, hyung? I don’t want Soonyoung-hyung to think of me like that any longer. I just want him to see that I can be a loving and loyal mate…not a loathsome Alpha who would thoughtlessly impregnate him without even holding a wedding ceremony first,” Mingyu said with a cringe.

“How about I speak with him and see where his mind is?” Junhui helpfully suggested. “You obviously mean well, but maybe there is something else he sees that we don’t.”

“Hyung, would you be alright with that? Minghao won’t get mad?”

“Ah, Mingyu, it’ll be fine. Trust me.” His willowy Omega mate needed healthy doses of jealousy from time to time. Minghao would never say anything to confirm his spite, but he did act more possessive and territorial when jealous, and the Alpha found it extremely cute. But then he also thought Minghao’s annoyed expression was adorable. Maybe Junhui really was a weirdo in love - as Jihoon liked to put it. “I’ll get to the bottom of this, and you’ll be happily married in no time!”

The king’s gaze turned ruminative and anxious as he fiddled with the jade ring on his left forefinger. “I hope so, hyung…I really do hope so…”

* * *

Seungkwan did not come to his room the next morning as Soonyoung had hoped. 

Instead, breakfast had been brought to him by none other than Wen Junhui - caretaker of the fire hounds and their babies. The Alpha had a tray filled with steamed dumplings and sweet tofu pudding, as well as golden yolk buns and tea eggs - with enough servings for _two people_ to eat.

_They_ were going to have a meal together, which was indeed unsual, but Soonyoung had an inkling as to why Junhui had decided to dine with him today. 

“Did Mingyu send you here?” he asked cautiously, observing the Alpha pour daisy tea into their cups. 

Junhui beamed brightly at the Omega. “I volunteered…”

“Why? Don’t you all hate me for…running away and endangering your king?”

“We don’t hate you, Wangja-nim,” the Alpha stated as he moved some dumplings over to the prince’s plate. “And we probably never will unless you do something awful to our king. Everyone in this palace is fiercely loyal to him.”

The loyalty they had for Mingyu was honestly baffling, because other Alphas in literature had gone crazy after offering up their own Omegas to their kings.

But Firestorm Fortress was far from normal, and maybe there was something else going on beneath the surface. 

Maybe the residents of the palace were all polyamorous and dabbled in sexual orgies and multiple penetration. Seungkwan did mention that the king wanted the prince to join him and all the Omegas for physical recreation.

Soonyoung couldn’t help but shudder remembering that conversation. 

“I have always wondered…why do you and the other Alphas here seem so unbothered by your king bedding your Omegas almost everyday?” Soonyoung queried with wariness, hoping it would not trigger any negative reactions from the Alpha sitting across from him.

Honestly though, why did he even think for a second that it wouldn’t?

Junhui’s mouth hung open, and his chopsticks fell from his hand and clattered onto the dining table. “I’m sorry… _what_? Did you say our king…our king, _Kim Mingyu_ , has sex with _my_ Omega and all the other Omegas here on a regular basis?”

“D-Did you n-not know?” the prince stuttered, wishing he could drown himself in the tofu pudding. That would probably be less horrendous than dealing with another infuriated Alpha.

How could Wen Junhui not know? Unless he chose to stay ignorant, surely he would have noticed another Alpha’s scent lingering on his lover’s skin.

“Wangja-nim!!!! How on earth did you come up with that absurd idea???”

The Omega grimaced. “I- but I…my words are not baseless! I mean, I didn’t just- The books alluded to that! And- and Seungkwan told me the king drives him up the wall, and he has to eat tea cookies after the Alpha king makes him…go through strenuous activities all day long…”

Junhui’s eyes raised up to the heavens, as he begged the gods for strength to carry on with this formidable task. 

“I eat those tea cookies with him after those activities! I know Kim Mingyu isn’t having sex with _my Omega_ or Boo Seungkwan…or any other Omega here for that matter! He would have been murdered a long time ago if that were the case!” 

The Alpha couldn’t get over how awful this whole ordeal was. He’d stepped into a puddle more muddy than he thought it would be, and now he had to clean up the mess he didn’t even make.

“Wait…so Mingyu isn’t fornicating with his concubines?” The tone in Soonyoung’s voice sounded way too hopeful. “What has Seungkwan been complaining about all this time then?”

“First of all, he has no concubines, and he’s never fornicated with _anybody_ his entire life. Second, he’s been training with the Omegas. Seungkwan was probably complaining about the strain on his body.”

So that meant Soonyoung didn’t have to compete with anyone for Mingyu, and the realization made the agony swelling inside his chest deflate little by little.

He could have the Alpha all to himself…

He didn’t have to worry about any other Omega.

“Training with them…to fight?” the prince had to clarify, because as far as he knew, only Chan and Minghao had been obligated to carry a sword.

“Yes, that’s right.” 

“But why is he forcing them to fight? Everyone knows an Omega’s body isn’t designed for combat.”

“Of course everyone knows that.” Junhui couldn’t help but smirk, because he’d been waiting for the chance to finally boast about their kingdom’s special secret. “But that’s not stopping any one of them here from getting stronger. Do you know who’s the best at hand-to-hand combat in the entire army? It’s Boo Seungkwan - an Omega. Even Seungcheol-hyung can’t beat him. That’s why everyone wants to spar with him, and it wears him out.”

Soonyoung did nothing to hide the astonishment in his countenance.

Seungkwan, the sonorous Omega who greeted him with a smile every morning…could tussle with any Alpha here and claim victory? That was impressive! 

“Do you know who can toss Alphas twice his size over his head? Lee Jihoon - another Omega.”

“I would never have guessed!” Soonyoung exclaimed.

He never thought it would ever be possible for a fellow Omega, especially one with a short stature. 

“And do you know why Xu Minghao is Mingyu’s most trusted Omega?” This was what Wen Junhui was most proud of. “It’s because he doesn’t take any Alpha’s bullshit, and he is the only one who can lead the whole army into battle should Mingyu be absent. He is the best sword fighter here after the King of Gwangsan Kim himself.”

Minghao was second to the king in terms of wielding a weapon?

Soonyoung couldn’t believe everything he was hearing. 

How could he have been so blind to the skills of all the Omegas surrounding him? 

What else had he missed?

Who knew Omegas could have so much potential?

“At first, none of them believed they were capable of doing all these things, but our king did,” Junhui continued with a heartwarming smile. “He trained them all one at a time, and now, the Omegas here are powerful enough to defend themselves should anyone try to attack them. Firestorm Fortress has no weak link. Everyone here knows how to fight…and he was going to make sure you did too. Mingyu would never force anyone to have sex with him. He’s not that kind of person.”

“But why didn’t he tell me who he was from the very start and what his Omegas here were doing?”

Ah, here was the origin of this mess. 

Junhui had to take a swig of tea to ease his headache.

“Do you have any idea how scared he was bringing you here? He could hardly say a word to you, let alone introduce himself as the general who’d killed your horrible fiancé. And then, he was too afraid to tell you he was the king who orchestrated your abduction in the hopes of saving you from said fiancé and vying for your heart by showing you how wealthy his kingdom is and showering you with nice things,” the Alpha rambled on with surprising speed. 

Soonyoung almost couldn’t keep up. “Uh…You talk really fast…”

“But, for some reason, you just keep thinking about the bad in him! Sure, your father killed his parents, but Mingyu loves you so much that even with this much power, he never once thought about invading your kingdom to seek vengeance. All he wanted was for you to love him! He would have given you the entire world if you asked! But no, you just keep misunderstanding him, and he has no idea what to say to you! And now I have to step in and knock some sense into you before Mingyu gets hurt again.”

The Omega prince gasped. “I don’t want to hurt him! That’s the last thing I want!”

“Then stop assuming the worst in him, and start getting to know the real Kim Mingyu!”

He had been trying to get to know Mingyu. When they had started meeting in the gardens at night, Soonyoung was slowly getting to know him. 

Why couldn’t the Alpha tell him then? 

Why couldn’t any of them tell him?

A certain question had risen from his pondering. “Why wouldn’t anyone refer to him as the king around me?”

For a short moment, Junhui had contemplated on the right answer to that. “This is probably the easiest way to explain it. Our leader has one rule we all have to abide by without question. When the crown is on, Mingyu is the king. When it’s off, he’s just a cook. He was always around you without the crown, so we always referred to him like we were all equals. That’s probably a good place to start judging what kind of person he truly is.”

Kings in other nations would never do such a thing. Their heads were far too high above the clouds to even think the people below them could be considered his equals.

Kim Mingyu really was something beautifully out of the ordinary. 

“I wish someone had told me all this sooner…” Soonyoung muttered wistfully.

Junhui picked at the eggs, rolling them around in the bowl with his spoon. “Trust me, we wanted you to find out as soon as possible, but Mingyu insisted he would tell you all this himself. For a while, we thought he was already speaking with you…but we eventually caught on and realized that he hadn’t. Mingyu really did make a big mistake not letting you know everything right away…but the guy is human. He’s not perfect, and he’s downright horrible at communicating. He just holds so much in and keeps everything to himself. Mingyu definitely needs to work on that, and I hope you would still be here when he finally starts getting it right.”

The Kwon prince really would like that. He would love to stay here and see what a marvelous king Mingyu would become in the future.

“If you ever felt something for Mingyu the cook, maybe you can also spare those feelings for Mingyu the king. He’s a good person, and he takes care of us. I know he will take good care of you too if you let him.”

Soonyoung frowned. “But I can’t ask him for that. It would be too much to ask for…too shameful even…”

Because the Omega could not even forgive his own kingdom for orphaning an innocent young boy.

“Then why don’t you take care of him?” 

Junhui’s proposition had him going red in the face. 

“I…that can be arranged,” he replied, thinking back to their time in the forest and how he’d asked Mingyu to marry him.

Marrying Mingyu the cook sounded wonderful. Marrying Mingyu the king…oh goodness, that would be an incredible blessing from the gods.

The Alpha wasn’t done bringing scarlet to his face. “And please stop offering him your body until after you’ve spoken your wedding vows.”

Soonyoung had to cover his cheeks with his hands and squeeze his eyes close in embarrassment. “Okay! Okay, I will stop doing that!”

Junhui chuckled, glad that he had been the one to set everything straight with the Prince of Andong Kwon. No one ever gave him enough credit for his superb conversational skills. He could definitely take a break from caring for the fire hounds and switch jobs with Seungkwan, but then again, that would probably not be a good idea. Seungkwan wasn’t fireproof. “One last thing, if you have any more misunderstandings, come to me so we can sort things out. _Immediately_.”

The prince sat up straight and nodded vigorously. “Thank you, Junhui-ssi! I really appreciate you for enlightening me.” 

“You’re welcome!” Junhui said, before breaking into a yolk bun and handing half of it to the Omega. “Now eat your breakfast.”

Soonyoung was about to enthusiastically dig in, but another thought made him pause midway. “Would…would Mingyu toss me to the side if I get fat?”

The Alpha poured the rest of the dumplings onto the Omega’s plate.

“The worst that can happen is Mingyu swooning over you and dying from too much endearment.”

“But I don’t want him to die,” the prince lamented pitifully.

Oh…oh, these two were going to age him quicker than the wine in the cellars.

“Wangja-nim, please start eating before I have an aneursym.”

The prince quickly heeded his words and graciously tucked into the delicious meal.

While they quietly ate, Junhui couldn’t help but fondly remember how he and his lover met Kim Mingyu. It had been a while back, but he would always hold the memory close to his heart and be eternally grateful to their Alpha king. 

After all, if it hadn’t been for Mingyu, Junhui and Minghao would have died a long time ago…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, now we can safely say that Junhui should have been part of the welcoming entourage. I also added a little sprinkle of mystery on his character. Let me know if you guys caught it! Now that most of the misunderstandings have been fixed...JunHao fans, y'all know what's about to come next!!!!! The story of the White Swan Empire and how JunHao got together will be revealed!!!! After that, something to look forward to: SoonGyu fucking. One reader made me realize that I'd reached 334 pages, and they still haven't gotten jiggy with it. I'm really sorry about that! But I promise you guys it's gonna be happening sooner than you think! Not in like Chapter 20 but SOON! One more thing to look forward to: Jisoo won't be going anywhere anytime soon. I gotta stop now before I spoil the rest of the plot. 
> 
> See you guys again soon! Hope you guys liked this update!


	19. Chapter 19

_Between the time when flowers bloom and scatter, scars heal and sprouts emerge. We live for this moment, the first and last. That's why I won't take you for granted, because you love somebody like me..._

_-Seventeen, Fallin' Flower (2020)_

The White Swan Empire had been the home of the Fu Clan for many centuries. Theirs was a dynasty unmatched in the art of war, and every successor to the throne had been bred to conquer and destroy. 

But in the recent generations, the kingdom’s mindset had changed drastically. Many of the succeeding emperors had chosen to brandish ink brushes in lieu of their family's traditional swords, and the goals of their reign morphed from pillaging other nations but to creating a long-lasting concordats with them. 

These emperors believed that the true power of a kingdom could only be seen in perpetuated peace with their enemies and that prosperity could only be achieved through means which evoked happiness and contentment in their people. 

Blood shed and rape became appalling pursuits deeply frowned upon, and doing harm onto others warranted far great punishments than ever before.

The Fu Clan’s ingenious leaders were determined to make the White Swan Empire a utopia - a land comparable to heaven itself. They wanted their great kingdom to be a place known for its unending joy and peace and to leave behind the disgraceful infamy they once had.

But of all the rulers born into this dynasty, Fu Yue - the current reigning emperor - was undoubtedly the most benevolent. He was an Alpha unlike many other nobles. Calm and controlled, the man was strictly disciplined and never allowed himself to indulge his inner Alpha's vulgar urges and imperious tendencies. 

Like his father before him, Fu Yue prioritized the transcendence of his kingdom. In order for his nation thrive and progress, he embodied the attributes of an upright king and became the paragon of goodness - the exemplar after which his subjects were obligated to follow. 

Wen Junhui had always admired Emperor Yue since he was a child. He had been on the receiving end of the monarch’s benignity ever since his mother - Emperor Yue’s sister - had died giving birth to him. Though he did not bestow the title of prince to Junhui, the ruler did take him in as his own and made him a honorary member of the branch family. To a boy who lost his mother and never met his father, that had been more than enough kindness on the emperor's part.

He was not allowed to call the emperor his father, but the man had graciously played the part throughout Junhui’s growing years. So much so that whispers began spreading about Junhui’s actual parentage, and tawdry questions arose regarding the true nature of Emperor Yue and his sister’s relationship. 

Junhui absolutely hated those rumors.

Not only did they blatantly disrespect their compassionate Alpha king, but they also brought shame to his late mother’s name. 

How crude could the palace dwellers be? 

Such hearsay was detrimental to their emperor’s reputation, and it did nothing to pacify his treasured empress and her disconcertment. 

She had given Emperor Yue a son - only a few days after Junhui had been born - and bore him more children in the following years that came. The baseless gossip circulating around the city had unsettled her to a perturbing degree. Unfortunately, the empress had chosen to immerse herself in the wrong company, and the more she listened to the iniquitous murmurs of her inner circle, the more she feared that Junhui would someday rise up and challenge her eldest son’s claim to the throne. He had been born before Longfei, and if Junhui were indeed Emperor Yue’s bastard, the succession would be his for being the oldest of all the sons.

So she committed suicide as a final act of love for her favorite child and with her sacrifice, fortified Longfei's position as heir apparent. Her death had sealed her status as the emperor’s first wife, and so no other offspring from any other Omega could take away her son’s rightful legacy. 

Emperor Yue heavily mourned the loss of his wife. His love for her had been true, and her death had been tragic and pointless. He had never been in an incestuous relationship with his own sister, and he had never laid with any other Omega besides the empress herself. 

After a long period of grieving, the emperor finally announced to the kingdom that Junhui was the son of a soldier with the last name of Wen. While delivering gold and a peace treaty scroll to the Carnation Kingdom, he and his troop had been ambushed and murdered in cold blood. Their remains were found stripped of armor and valuables. All the gold had been taken, and the peace treaty had been ripped to shreds. 

After that incident, the White Swan Empire never sent people to the Carnation Kingdom again. 

The emperor’s sister found out that her beloved would never return, while she was giving birth, and the physicians surmised that it was the heartbreak that killed her in the end and not the complications of labor. 

Her dying wish was that Emperor Yue would love Junhui just as he had loved his sister, and the only reason he'd hidden the truth for so long...was because he felt so ashamed of himself for inadvertently sending Junhui’s father to his own death and killing the only sibling he had shortly after.

It was difficult for him to stomach how he orphaned his own nephew, and he’d hoped to wait until Junhui grew older before revealing to him the truth.

Sadly, his faults and secrets led to the death of his own wife, and as a repentance for all those who’d perished because of his incompetence, Emperor Yue swore to never take another empress again. He also promised to relinquish his throne to Longfei once he was of age, and afterwards, he would take a vow of silence and isolate himself in the Temple of the Second Brother until quietus came to take his life away.

The ruler buried himself in carrying out his onus to the kingdom as way to escape his exorbitant guilt, and by doing so, he neglected to teach his children humility and politeness. Emperor Yue’s sons were overindulged by the advisers who sought to win their favor and pampered by the servants who could not deny them any request. All six of them became ill-mannered and selfish over time, but none of the brothers could reach the level of atrociousness Fu Longfei had achieved.

The Crown Prince insisted that it had been Junhui who had killed his mother, and to avenge her, he and his siblings would incessantly torment their cousin day after day. They would throw their sticky desserts at Junhui's face, ruin his clothes with black ink, hide allergy-inducing plants in his bed sheets, and stick needles underneath his shoes to poke his feet - all of which had been instigated by Longfei. 

His younger brothers saw no iniquity in their actions, because the eldest sibling they looked up to believed that their cousin deserved such mistreatment…

And for a long time, Junhui believed it too.

So he said nothing to Emperor Yue about their persecution. Junhui kept his mouth shut for many years as his own way of facing retribution, hoping that someday, Longfei and his brothers would forget their pain by using him as an outlet for their aggression. 

Without the knowledge of their ruler, Junhui had even volunteered to be the whipping boy whenever any of them had done wrong and incited the fury of their father. As the years went by, the collection of scars on his back became innumerable, until no room had been left for even the tiniest expanse of smooth skin.

There was no point in him looking attractive after all. He had no desire to marry, and he wished to follow Emperor Yue into seclusion once the time had come. 

Everyday, he hid his sadness and self-loathing behind a bright smile.

But it was not forced, and neither was it fake. 

In fact, Junhui’s smile was from the heart. It was a symbol of his unending gratitude to his mother, his father, and his uncle for bringing him into this world. He knew his parents were up in heaven, watching over him. Even though they could not take care of him, he wanted to let them know that Emperor Yue had shown him all the love they would have given him had they been alive, and the happy smile on his face was the grand product of that love. 

But of course, many others saw his jovial disposition as a clear sign of lunacy, and seeing him beam in the face of darkness irked his cousins to no end. 

Because no matter what they did to him, all Junhui ever did was smile in return. 

Even after all the times he’d been whipped, not a single cry had ever escaped his lips. 

Even as his entire body shook from the pain and his vision blurred from all the blood loss, Junhui would continuously mutter, “ _Papa, mama, it doesn’t hurt…it doesn’t hurt…_ ”

Soon, Emperor Yue's sons grew tired of tyrannizing him, and their attentions turned to the servants they could bully around. 

Longfei still enjoyed toying with Junhui every now and then, but his oppressing nature eventually started feasting on the tears of his handmaidens. They could do nothing to reprimand him, and even when he was being despicable, they were still forced to serve him. For a boy on the verge puberty, the constant power trip had inflated his ego to the point of no return. 

He was the Crown Prince, and they were all beneath. 

He wanted to make sure they would never forget it. 

Even if his victims had not been handmaids, they were still Omegas, and in the White Swan Empire, all Omegas subjugated themselves to the Alphas in their lives.

With such a foul and belligerent demeanor, it was more than obvious that Longfei was going to present as an Alpha someday. They could only pray that their suffering wouldn’t increase when the Crown Prince finally got his fangs and red eyes.

Junhui’s heart ached for the poor servants. 

There was nothing he could do to help them. 

All he could do was tend to their bruises and console their whimpers in secrecy. He treated them with staggering kindness, taking over some of their chores - cooking and caring for the livestock when they couldn’t. He did this so they would not feel alone, so they would feel like they had an ally in the palace who cared about them and their plights. His hands became calloused and rough so theirs had time to heal. Instead of hoarding his material gifts, he shared them so the servants could enjoy nice things as well. But most of all, he did this so they would not think to harm themselves or the Crown Prince. Even though he had an honorable position in the clan, Wen Junhui cared more about maintaining the peace for those around him than for himself

He did not think of himself as valiant or unselfish for doing all these things.

At the end of the day, he was a coward, because he could not find the strength within himself to defend the servants against his cousin. 

But then…the advent of a certain boy named Xu Minghao changed _everything_.

* * *

The change had been insidious, growing slowly as time passed, until it eventually exploded and affected the lives of everyone in the palace…for better and for worse.

Emperor Yue had spent many of his ruts alone, and the lack of emotional and physical release had impacted his health in a negative manner. Alphas were never meant to keep their combative and sexual impulses stagnant, so the suppression of these impulses had weakened the emperor’s immune system and caused him to gain ailments every month. 

Because he refused to learn how to fight or take out his inner hostility on nature, their ruler’s only other option was to hire someone who could see to his special needs.

At first, the emperor would not yield to the suggestion, but after a devastating sickness almost cost him his life, Emperor Yue finally relented.

His selection had been private, and none of the Omegas in the roster were of noble lineages. He wanted a rut partner, not a consort nor a new empress. So all the women he sought were of the common folk inside the city, either widowed or divorced and without relatives tied to the members of his council. 

They were given a choice whether they wished to assume the role of a rut partner or not, and out of all the invitations, only one had answered. 

She was a widower originally from Sweet Autumn City - a large town within the territory of the Fu Clan. After her husband had succumbed to a fatal disease, she was forced to move to the White Swan Empire in order to find more stable work. After four years of working as a seamstress, the Beta man who had initially offered her the job replaced her with a much younger and prettier Omega lady.

The invitation had saved her from becoming a beggar on the streets, and her only plea was that her son be allowed to stay in the palace grounds with her.

Xu Minghao, the widower’s son, was younger than both Junhui and Longfei. He was gangly and sullen after living in poverty for so long, but he was also quite rebellious and snarky for his age. His mother blamed the hooligans of the city slums for instilling those traits in her son, but Minghao contended that those Alpha and Beta men had treated him well and even thought him how to defend himself with both his hands and deadly knives.

He could not stay in the palace for free, so the chief attendant of the emperor assigned Minghao to serve the Crown Prince as a house boy. 

It would be an understatement to say that Minghao did not like this particular undertaking.

The first time he’d brought Longfei his dinner, the Crown Prince had taken one look at him and immediately began talking down brutally on his appearance. Instead of bursting into tears like the other servants normally would, Minghao flipped the tray in his hands and dumped the hot food all over the emperor’s repugnant firstborn. 

Longfei had been so shocked by what happened that he actually burst into tears right then and there. 

When the chief attendant found out, he admonished Minghao for his unfavorable actions and punished him by having him kneel over uncooked rice grains and balance scrolls in his outstretched arms for an entire day. 

But that had done nothing to teach Minghao his lesson. 

Whenever Longfei would lash out at him, he would lash out twice as harsh, and the two ended up brawling more often than not. 

Emperor Yue eventually found out, but instead of throwing Minghao out, he pardoned the young house boy and chalked up their petty scuffles to boys just being boys. He insisted they would grow out of it once they were older, and in the meantime, the house boy could just be moved to the staff team that waited on Junhui. 

Minghao wasn’t quite keen on serving under him either, but after receiving a good scolding from his mother, he became more amenable to learning and performing his duties in fear of being separated from her. 

By this time, Junhui had become a bit of a rascal himself. Nobody usually paid attention to him or worried about his location because he was not a prince. So he was always flitting around the palace doing whatever he wanted. 

His tutors were used to him sneaking away during the study hour, and his handmaids were perennially struggling to keep him presentable enough should the emperor suddenly request his presence. With the way he was cooking, doing chores, and playing with insects and animals throughout the day, his clothes were always getting stained, and his hair often became too unruly for court.

Minghao was not as patient nor as understanding as his handmaids, and after just one day, he was already tired of running after Junhui and fixing his hair every other hour. 

“Why won’t you just sit still like all the other princes?!” the house boy rebuked him, throwing a hairbrush onto the vanity table in frustration. 

Junhui simply turned to him and answered, “I’m not a prince, and I do not wish to be like them.”

“Who wouldn’t want to be a prince?”

“I don’t…they are quite horrid honestly…but…they are still my cousins so I will keep loving them dearly…”

Minghao gave him a skeptical look. “Even Longfei?”

Junhui smiled handsomely.

“Even Longfei…”

* * *

They did not become best friends, nor did they become closer during those years.

In fact, it was safe to say that Minghao was just perpetually irritated waiting on Junhui. Not because they were fighting all the time, but because he genuinely believed that Junhui was stupid. 

Minghao was fed up with the older boy’s intemperate kindness and unrestrained selflessness. He was sick of seeing the emperor’s sons gang up on Junhui whenever the opportunity arose and they were in a tussling mood. He was no longer willing to repeatedly change and wash Junhui’s soiled clothing everyday, and during mealtimes, he had no strength left in him to force Junhui to eat all his vegetables instead of just picking at the meat.

All in all, Minghao was just absolutely done with him.

Until he finally saw Junhui’s uncovered back for the first time since he started working at the palace.

Junhui usually took the time to bind his own torso before any of his attendants arrived to help him change. On that particular day, the house boy had come to deliver his breakfast earlier than usual, and he caught sight of the older boy's half-naked figure turned away from the door to his room. 

“What happened to you?!” Minghao cried out. He was terrified by the grotesqueness of the scars and how they overlapped one another. It was impossible to even count how many there were exactly, and it was heart-wrenching to look upon.

No one their age should ever have to experience something like this. 

How merciless had the floggers been to inflict so much pain onto a child?

What on earth had the emperor’s nephew even done to deserve these many scars?

“It’s nothing,” Junhui replied, covering his body up with an inner robe layer. 

But even then, the thin material did little to obscure the remnants of his defacement. 

“Forget what you saw, Xiao Hao Hao…”

Ugh.

There it was again.

_Xiao Hao Hao._

He hated that awful nickname. 

The house boy growled back at him. “I told you to stop calling me that! And don’t change the subject!"

“But I didn’t-”

“What happened to your back? Why is it so messed up?”

Junhui frowned and sighed before looking away. “I used to receive my cousins’ punishments. They were princes, so of course they could not be whipped. I took the place of the whipping boy…because I was the reason they became like this. I was the reason their mother killed herself.”

“You let this happen? You let them hurt you like this? Have any of your ugly cousins even seen how your back looks?”

Minghao was angry, so so angry, but he couldn’t understand why he was this riled up after hearing Junhui’s story.

Was he becoming attached to the emperor's nephew?

No. No way. 

Junhui was gross, and he played with bugs all the time. 

Junhui was childish and stupid, and all his jokes were pathetic and not funny at all.

Junhui was always smiling and laughing in such an ugly way that it was getting more and more upsetting to look at as the days went by.

One thing was for certain though - Minghao didn’t like the emperor’s nephew, but he definitely didn’t like the emperor’s sons even more.

“N-No…they shouldn’t have to…” Junhui stuttered.

“Well then what was the point of you taking on their punishments?! Why would you do all this for them and let them blame you for their mother’s death if you had no intention to show them your back???”

Minghao knew he was being too cruel. 

He was invading too much personal space, but someone had to shake some sense into Junhui.

Another hideous question entered his thoughts, and Minghao had to push one final time.

“I deserved this, Xiao Hao Hao. I-”

“Has Emperor Yue seen your scars?” the house boy interjected, gaze just as inflexible as a steel blade. “Does he even know?” 

His query was met with eery silence, and the anger in his heart doubled in size and seized his entire being. Minghao turned on his heels and headed for the door. “I need to tell him! I need to tell him right now!”

But Junhui caught him before he could leave the room. His arms wrapped around Minghao’s stomach, and he pulled the younger boy tight against the front of his body. “Don’t tell my uncle! Please, he does not need to know about this!”

The house boy’s face had turned red like a tomato. He’d never been held like this before. Not even his mother showed him this much affection. 

His heart was bounding rapidly in his chest, and it just felt so…so nice in Junhui’s embrace.

But Minghao had to remind himself that the older boy wasn’t doing this out of anything but desperation. 

And it wasn’t like he wanted to be hugged anyway. 

“I won’t tell him…if you promise me you’ll never let them flog you ever again.”

“I promise! I promise!”

He pried himself out of Junhui’s grasp, and with a sharp look, the house boy continued his parley. “And you also have to promise me you’ll stop staining your clothes and ruining your hair. You also need to finish your food and go to all your lessons from now on!”

“I will, Xiao Hao Hao! I promise I will do everything you tell me!”

As Junhui had promised, he stopped being the chaotic mess Minghao had to deal with on a regular basis. His energy mellowed out, although he was still exuberant talking nonstop and playing with the other servants. 

He finished his meals and his lessons to completion, and Minghao did not have to run around after him anymore.

Every now and then, his thoughts would drift back to Junhui’s arms wrapped around his middle.

At the time, he couldn’t fathom why his musings kept going back to those unwelcome memories, but many years later, Minghao eventually realized why.

* * *

It was three months before Junhui’s presentation ceremony.

This year, on his birthday, he was going to find out whether he would be an Alpha, Beta, or Omega for the rest of his life.

He did not express having a specific preference, but Fu Longfei repeatedly voiced out his hopes that Junhui would present as an Omega. 

Their birthdays were not too far apart, and many of the palace dwellers were wagering on who would become an Alpha.

Even after all these years, the emperor’s firstborn still harbored a fanatical vendetta against his cousin, and sometimes, Junhui wished he could just choose to be an Omega so Longfei would finally stop thinking he was after the throne.

But before the arduous preparations could even begin, the seasonal flu struck and incapacitated many of the palace residents. The emperor, some of the councilmen, most of the princes, and a majority of the servants had been afflicted, and this specific flu caused worse symptoms than unusual.

Thankfully, Minghao had not caught the disease, and he was in charge of seeing to Junhui’s recovery. He brought the emperor’s nephew congee and herbal remedies everyday, as well as subdue his fevers by pressing cold cloths over his warm spots and changing them out by the hour. 

He was so invested in Junhui’s recovery that the house boy started neglecting his own health and sleep, but his efforts were not reaping any rewards.

Everyone was slowly getting better, but the person Minghao wasn’t solely taking care of wasn’t. 

Longfei came to visit his ill cousin one night, and during his arrogant ranting, he accidentally revealed to Minghao that he’d ordered one of his own handmaidens to drip poison into Junhui’s daily bowl of medicine. The physician’s aid had not known as she handed it to the house boy each time.

Minghao became livid upon hearing the prince's evil deed, and he even threatened to kill Longfei if he didn’t get out of Junhui’s room right away. 

The Crown Prince cussed at him and bellowed his own threats, but in the end, he still ran from his cousin’s room like the milksop he was.

Hours later, a Beta physician had come to inspect Junhui’s state. Minghao had never encountered this peculiar doctor before, but his mind was too distraught to question anything. 

Junhui was unresponsive now, and his pulse was thready and weak. His lips were deathly pale, and he looked thinner than the house boy had ever seen him.

Was he really going to die?

Minghao didn’t want him to die.

Who would he serve then?

Who would pester him with trivial matters and dry jokes everyday?

Who would he tell off for doing stupid things all the time?

With tears in his eyes, Minghao told the doctor about the poison Longfei had tainted the medicine with and begged for him to do something, _anything_ to save Junhui.

The wise man who smelled like bergamots gave him very precise and discreet instructions. 

All hope was not lost yet, because Junhui had someone by his side - a person who could lend him energy and revitalize his organs as his body fought the poison in his blood.

“You have to be healthy,” the doctor enjoined. “For this to work, you need to be in peak condition. Eat balanced meals and exercise as much as you can. Then, before twilight each day, you need to place your hands over his chest and feed him your power.”

“How will I know if it’s working? How will I know if I’m doing it right?”

“You will know, because right after you transfer your energy to him, your body will collapse…and you will not awaken until dawn the next day. This must be done for seventeen consecutive days or else Wen Junhui will perish. His life will be in your hands. So do you still wish to take on this onerous task, Xu Minghao?”

Without a beat for even a second of silence, the house boy dauntlessly answered, “Of course I do. Why are you even asking me that?”

The Beta smiled at him gently. “I just wanted to make sure you were ready for this kind of commitment.”

Minghao rolled his eyes. “Don’t make it sound like we’re getting married or something! I’m just trying to save this idiot’s life!”

“And for that, I am so thankful…” 

The physician got up and collected his basket of medical supplies. “Take care of him, Xu Minghao. I hope you two have a wonderful life together.”

“Ew! Stop trying to pair us up like that!” the house boy groused, pouting petulantly as the Beta doctor chuckled and made his way out the room. 

For some reason, Minghao never saw the physician again after that night.

But the knowledge the Beta mad had shared with him about dispensing one’s energies proved to be a useful alternative to herbal remedies. 

Day after day, the houseboy gathered his strength from fresh produce and clean meats unsullied by salt or oil. He revisited the fighting moves his hooligan friends from the slums had taught him, and he watched how the soldiers trained on wooden dummies so he could learn their moves as well. 

No matter how tired he was, Minghao kept reminding himself that as long as he was growing stronger and stronger, Junhui would too. 

And just as the physician had said, on the seventeenth day…his friend had curled his fingers over Minghao’s wrist and opened his eyes.

The house boy still had his hands on Junhui’s chest, and he had bite down on the inside of his cheek so tears would not leave his eyes.

“J-Junhui…” he muttered out shakily.

Minghao attempted to retract his wrist, but the emperor’s nephew would not release him. 

“I…missed you…” Junhui whispered, grinning at the house boy weakly. There was color in his face again, and though his entire body was still gaunt, his expression was zestful, making him look almost as lively as he used to be.

“I don’t feel the same,” he lied defensively, but who was he kidding? 

Of course he missed Junhui as well. 

How could Minghao not miss him?

He wouldn’t have gone through all this if he didn't.

A smile crept onto his lips, but before Minghao could make it disappear, his companion had unfortunately gotten a glimpse of it.

“Did you…just smile?”

The house boy had made it a conscious effort to never smile. 

At anyone. 

Ever.

So witnessing Xu Minghao smile may as well have been considered a miracle, and wow, how breathtaking it had been to finally see it.

Junhui’s teasing grin grew even wider.

“Did you...fall in love…while I was sleeping?” 

Minghao refused to say anything, but his silent answer had been obvious enough.

* * *

Deep in his heart, he always knew Wen Junhui would present as an Alpha.

Half the palace was in shock at the revelation. They had expected him to be either a Beta or an Omega because he never showed any aggressiveness to anyone. The other half was split into two categories: the dismayed - Longfei and his brothers - and the elated - Emperor Yue and some of the servants Junhui was closest too. 

Minghao, though, felt nothing but contempt, because only days after his birthday, Junhui was already giving out daisy flowers to all the servants in the palace. Whether they were a man or woman didn’t matter, and most of them had been Omegas.

An Alpha giving flowers to an Omega symbolized an intent for courtship, and the house boy just couldn’t believe Junhui was going to publicly pursuing this many after just having his presentation ceremony.

It seemed as though the flu had made the emperor’s nephew even more stupid, and his Alpha hormones were probably only adding fuel to his foolishness. 

So Minghao decided to avoid Junhui for the entire day, not even bothering to bring him any meals. After all, his Omega harem could do that for him. 

This was not him being jealous.

He wasn’t the type to get jealous about anything.

It was that damn Beta doctor’s fault for putting weird thoughts into his head.

Happy life together? With Wen Junhui? 

Who would want to be stuck with that stupid Alpha for the rest of their life?

By sunset, Junhui had finally found Minghao angrily punching and abusing a poor wooden dummy.

“Minghao, what has made you so upset this time?” he queried playfully, already used to his attendant’s short temper after all these years. “Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?”

The house boy barely spared him a glance. “I’m not upset! And no, I don’t need _some Alpha_ to help me feel better! It’s not like I’m an _Omega_.”

“I guess I’m some Alpha now, huh?” Junhui chortled, eyes crinkling in amusement. There was still a faint red tinge to them, and thankfully, they would be gone in another couple of days. It was unsettling to look at the Alpha with pure vermillion in his orbs - the same way it was unsettling to look at his face, his lips, his hair, and his teeth. “Well _some Alpha_ got you this bouquet of flowers as way to say thank you for everything.”

Minghao turned to him in surprise and found a bundle of daisies and clematises in the Alpha’s arms. 

True to his disparaging nature, his first instinct was to scoff at the sweet gesture. Yes, he did practically snatch the flowers out of Junhui’s hands, but no, it didn’t mean he had secretly wanted to receive them all this time. “Like I said, I’m not an Omega. Don’t try to include me in your sick, Alpha-fantasy orgy.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” the emperor’s nephew chimed, smile never leaving his lips. “I bought these just for you.”

“Liar! I saw all the other daisies you gave the Omega servants.”

“Is that why you’re in a bad mood today?”

“No! You can court as many Omegas as you want! Just don’t expect me to be like them and fall head over heels in love with you too!”

“I’m not trying to court anyone, Minghao. This is just my way of showing my appreciation to all of you. It’s the daisy season so I picked a bunch of them for everyone in the palace. The clematises though, I bought them with only you in mind.”

Clematises were the cherished blossoms of Sweet Autumn City. They were a part of him just as daisies were a part of Junhui.

Putting daisies and clematises into one bouquet…

Oh, gods above, help him!

Why did Junhui have to be such a damn flirt???

He scowled at the bundle of flowers pressed against his chest. “Daisies and clematises don’t even go together!”

“So?” Junhui shrugged his shoulders. “Who’s going to stop them if they want to be together?” 

If Minghao weren’t so perfect and poised, the house boy would’ve choked on his own spit upon hearing that bold statement. 

Was Junhui talking about what he was thinking?

That was impossible. 

Goodness, he’d only presented as an Alpha a couple of days ago, and he was already talking like a whore. 

If Junhui was acting this way with everyone else, they would surely misinterpret his words and actions. 

Great. Now Minghao had to stick to him more closely than ever - to fend off unwanted advances from the Omegas and keep them out of Junhui’s bedroom. 

That was all.

He wasn’t being jealous.

He wasn’t.

The house boy cringed, realizing Junhui was still waiting for him to say something snarky in return, and he wore the nastiest glare he could muster on his facial features. 

It was time to change the subject. 

His pure heart didn’t need anymore of this nonsense.

“Why did you stop calling me _Xiao Hao Hao_?” 

Junhui gaze softened almost bittersweetly. “Because you’re not so small anymore, Minghao…”

“Well, t-think of another nickname then!” the house boy demanded. “Just pick one and go back to being your stupid self again! You're making me uncomfortable!”

“I’ll drop the _Xiao_ and call you _Hao Hao_ then…” Junhui answered fondly, orbs twinkling with delight. “Would you like that?”

Minghao really would.

But he was never going to admit that out loud. 

“It’s not like I can stop you anyway.”

* * *

Wen Junhui was a different type of hideous compared to his cousin. 

While Fu Longfei - who ended up presenting as an Alpha just as everyone expected - was downright revolting, Wen Junhui was so much worse. He was already annoying enough when he was being nice and helpful, but he was especially abhorrent when he was doing things that drove Minghao crazy. 

Like all those times he would flex his newly-formed, dripping wet muscles after getting out of his bath tub. 

Or all those times he would eat sweet potatoes while intensely staring straight into Minghao’s eyes.

Or even all those times where he would accidentally brush up against the house boy and leave his Alpha scent lingering on Minghao’s clothes.

Don’t even get him started on how Junhui seemed to enjoy running his fingers through Minghao’s hair and intertwining their fingers during their nightly strolls. 

And when Minghao finally presented… _as an Omega_ , the Alpha’s vexing qualities augmented by a thousand-fold. 

Because after that, Junhui was just constantly giving him gifts and sweets. Praises and compliments were spewing out of his mouth like a waterfall, making Minghao’s skin heat up and color with pink no matter how hard he tried to remain indifferent. Worst of all, Junhui was now almost perpetually calm and on his best behavior around Minghao, but the house boy couldn’t understand why. 

Junhui had always been hyper and all over the place. What was he getting out of pretending to be a well-bred, polite gentleman in front of the attendant who’s known his true personality for _years_? 

Wen Junhui was an absolute nightmare to deal with.

Wen Junhui was gross and ugly.

Why had all that suddenly changed?

He was still irritating, but…not in the same way he’d been when they were younger.

It was maddening.

Minghao would have asked his mother for advice, but after his birthday, she had retired from her post and was now living in luxury in Sweet Autumn City. 

This wasn’t a big enough issue to bother her with.

It was just Junhui being dumb.

But then one day, the Alpha had gone into his first rut... 

And when Minghao had entered Junhui’s room and saw those red eyes again, the air was knocked out of his lungs as his body temperature soared.

The Omega was triggered into his first heat, filling his orbs with blue and his limbs with agony. 

Junhui had to push him out the door before anything unwanted could happen between them, and that hurt more than the tightening in his belly.

Luckily, one of the Omega handmaidens was passing through the hallway, and she helped Minghao into his own room in the servant’s quarters. 

The kind woman also gave him supplies he needed - food, water, and…other items Minghao had never seen before.

They were all jade pieces vaguely phallic in shape, and she explained to him that it would ease the pain of his heat if he…rubbed his insides with them.

So Minghao undressed himself in the privacy of his own boudoir and did just that. 

The toy slipped into him, with much resistance at first, but the sliding became easier after his hole released more juices. 

All the while, he could only think about Junhui’s red eyes, his lips, and his rough fingers.

He wanted the Alpha touch him so badly. 

He wanted those red eyes to rake over his naked and vulnerable form. 

Minghao had already seen Junhui uncovered so many times, so he knew…

He knew exactly how big the Alpha was down there, and it was monstrous compared to the jade pumping in and out of him right now. 

His mind fluttered to a certain set of robes in his laundry hamper. They were from the day Junhui had suggested they have a friendly wrestling match before eating dinner. 

The Omega didn’t want to participate, but the Alpha kept egging him on, teasing him about how his hooligan friends would be disappointed if Minghao didn’t take on the challenge.

Minghao knew he was far more superior in terms of combat, so he gave in and decided that winning against an Alpha and crushing his ego would help keep Junhui in check.

By the time they were both worn out, he did end up putting the Alpha on his back and pinned him down with a straddle. 

Minghao may have emerged as the champion, but Junhui was the one smiling like he’d won.

Now as he rummaged for those specific robes, the Omega realized that the Alpha had been trying to seduce him all this time. 

And it worked.

It worked so well that after he found the robes, Minghao switched out the jade piece he’d been using with the biggest one on his nightstand. 

This piece was still smaller than Junhui, but it would have to do for now. 

After his heat, he was going to beat up the Alpha for doing this to him.

Until then, Minghao would just have to settle for dirty robes drenched in Junhui’s scent and a jade piece that was way too big for his virgin hole.

It hurt. It honestly hurt a lot.

But that burning stretch was also the most amazing sensation he’d ever felt in his entire life, and he came twice, consecutively, from just the pain alone.

* * *

One week later, Minghao’s sanity returned, and his ass was unbearably sore after enduring relentless abuse for seven days straight. 

He also felt drier than a prune, because drinking water had been the last thing on his mind while he was bludgeoning his insides.

He’d heard of heats being unbearable and brutal for most Omegas, especially the first time it happened. His had been manageable enough, but he had also been screaming Junhui’s name day in and day out. 

That was embarrassing to think about. 

What was also embarrassing was how hard he desperately wished the Alpha would show up in his bedroom and just breed him to death.

That was how terribly horny he’d been.

Minghao never cared about whether he would become an Alpha, Beta, or Omega, but he also had never thought about how needy Omegas were in heat.

He didn’t need an Alpha.

He didn’t need anybody.

Neediness threw off his unbothered aesthetic, and it wasn’t fair that he’d have to go through this all over again every three months or so. 

This was all Junhui’s fault. 

He was the one to blame for all this.

So Minghao coped with his frustrations the only way he knew how to.

“I hate you,” he said right when the Alpha opened the door to his room.

“Hao Hao, I’m sorry,” Junhui apologized dejectedly, the same way he did whenever he’d done something to anger the Omega. “I had no idea I was going into a rut. I didn’t mean to trigger your heat and give you a hard time.”

“Not everything revolves around you!” Minghao hissed back, shouldering his way into Junhui’s room.

He pushed the dining table away and kicked off his shoes, before taking a offensive stance on the floor. “Get over here!”

Junhui sighed. “Hao Hao, can we please talk about this like normal people?”

“What do _you_ know about being normal?”

“I know fighting isn’t going to solve anything.”

“I’m not going to fight you. I’m going to beat you up,” Minghao stated like the warmonger he probably was in his past life. “There’s a difference.”

The Alpha kicked off his own shoes and approached with an acceded expression. “Alright, alright. But before that, I need to do something first…”

Without waiting for the Omega to reply, Junhui snaked a hand around the back of Minghao’s head and sealed their lips in a kiss.

Maybe they were both insatiably sex-crazed teenagers or maybe they really were just out of their minds, but that kiss had reawakened all the salacity they’d put to rest after a week of self-abuse. 

Within a matter of seconds, they were both aroused and clawing at each other’s robes, and not all the layers had even come off yet when Junhui had already begun pushing himself into the Omega’s puckered, slick-covered hole. 

Minghao had to close his eyes and part his lips from the pleasure shooting up his back and down his toes. 

Why hadn’t anyone ever told him penetration would be this good?

He could’ve started playing with his own ass years ago.

Because Junhui was big in terms of both length and girth, Minghao’s hole was stretching wider than it had been the entire week. 

This felt so much better than the jade toys. 

There were tears escaping his eyes, but he wasn’t crying because it hurt. He was crying because the splitting feeling was too addicting. He never wanted it to end. 

The dick moving in and out of him was hot and heavy and just so delicious. 

He refused to go through his next heat without Junhui’s cock there to ruin him. 

To hell with it, he and Junhui were going to get married. They had to now, because they’d already gone this far. 

His mother would be sad that he had the honeymoon before the the marriage, but life wasn’t perfect like he was. 

Minghao was going to trap Junhui in this mess with him.

No one else lay claim on this Alpha except him.

As he trembled through his third orgasm that day, the Omega couldn’t stop all the hedonistic moans and incoherent words from leaving his drooling mouth. 

At one point, Junhui was certain Minghao had called him _gege_ , and within the garbled sentences he was producing, the Alpha had caught the slur of an _I love you_ in Minghao’s cries.

He said nothing to acknowledge them, even though he wanted so badly to respond with his own words of devotion.

Junhui didn’t wish to scare the Omega off. He'd rather wait patiently until the Omega was ready to accept that both of their feelings were indeed _real_ and mutual. 

So instead, he continued ramming his hips into Minghao’s reddened hole until he found his own release and spilled inside the Omega’s pliant body.

* * *

One night had not been enough for either of them.

As the weeks went by, Minghao and Junhui were copulating at an alarmingly frequent and unhealthy rate. 

Whenever the Omega was in the Alpha’s room, they were either eating or doing it. Thanks to how young and hot-blooded they were, both of them were always ready and in the mood to go at it multiple times throughout the day.

This went on for a good few months...until an engagement proposal arrived from Begonia Highland. It was a kingdom Emperor Yue had long been trying to establish rapport with, and their monarch had finally agreed to the alliance. As a way to seal their lands’ union, the Clan of Hwasun Choi wanted a high-ranking Alpha from the White Swan Empire to marry one of their own Omegas and live within their walls to further solidify the peace between their families.

None of Emperor Yue’s sons wanted to submit themselves for betrothal.

So with a heavy heart, their father announced that his nephew - Junhui - would be marrying a member of Hwasun Choi instead.

Longfei had rejoiced at the proclamation that his cousin would finally be leaving the kingdom, and to aggravate the situation, he reported Minghao and Junhui’s shameless bedroom activities to Emperor Yue. 

They weren’t sure how the Crown Prince had even found out, but someone had caught them, and it was disgusting to think that a voyeur might have been watching their intimate moments without their knowledge.

The ruler had been horrified by what he’d learned, and he immediately had them separated in two different wards of the palace.

Minghao ended up as Longfei’s servant yet again, and it was just as horrible as he’d remembered.

The Crown Prince never really grew up mentally or emotionally, even though he’d already presented as an Alpha and he was soon going to be the new leader of this kingdom.

The Omega didn’t have the energy in him to fight back whenever Longfei said or did something vapid.

All he could think about was how Junhui would be marrying another Omega in a couple weeks time, and Minghao was powerless to do anything about it besides wallow in misery.

* * *

Just a few days later, three foreigners entered the gates of the White Swan Empire. They were all men of different heights and contrasting auras, and they appeared to be quite weary from their long travel. 

The tallest among them was an Alpha, and he carried himself with such menace that most of the people had fled at the mere sight of him. In his arms was a large, black box that spoke nothing of its mysterious contents.

The man to his left was also an Alpha, and his appearance was remarkable and unlike most of the populace. He seemed to be the most cheerful of the three, and he was enthusiastically pointing at landmarks and market stands as if he’d seen them before. 

The final outlander was an Omega. He looked excessively anxious of their surroundings, and the worried expression on his round face would not dissipate. 

None of the men were from Begonia Highland, but they had come to see Emperor Yue if the Alpha interpreter could be depended on.

The soldier who intercepted them at the palace gates wasn’t even sure if he could be considered an interpreter. Though he spoke with conviction, his vocabulary was all sorts of twisted, and the words he spoke did not always make sense. 

“Emperor Yue…together in inches...inches and nails...” he said wit accompanying hand gestures that pointed to the tallest Alpha and the box in his hands. “Together…friend…pear….Feet!”

“You said there’s pears in the box?” the guard clarified.

The foreign interpreter nodded fervently. “Emperor Yue…pear...friend…”

Eventually, the Alpha soldier had worn himself out speaking with the "interpreter" and called upon the palace guards to take them to the emperor.

Their ruler and his council had been just as confused trying to figure out what they wanted and why they had brought pears with them, but as a courtesy to their unexpected guests, Emperor Yue allowed the three to stay for the night. They had brought no weapons with them, and besides the menacing aura their Alpha leader emanated, they seemed harmless and friendly enough not to be too concerned with. 

Their names were Kim Mingyu, Chwe Hansol, and Boo Seungkwan.

No one could even guess what strange land these people had come from.

* * *

Minghao leered at Longfei, fists clenching around the dinner tray he’d brought into the Crown Prince’s room. “What the hell are you doing, _Your Highness_?”

The Alpha smirked back at him. “Minghao, why must you be so rude in front of my cousin?”

He glanced at Junhui, who had his head bowed and chose not to speak even as Longfei goaded them on like this. 

They weren't permitted to be in the same room together, chaperoned or not, and this was only going to end with someone getting punished.

“I invited him for dinner, because I know how much you miss him.” The Crown Prince wasn’t doing this out of kindness though. He wasn’t capable of that. Longfei was just being demented and foul, itching to cause trouble while Junhui was still here for him to torture.

“We're not allowed to see each other,” the Omega responded curtly, putting the tray down and setting up the prince’s dining table as neatly as he could. 

“I know, but don’t worry. I won't tell the emperor if you don’t!”

Minghao clenched his jaw, reeling in the desire to slap Longfei in the face.

“I shall excuse myself then.”

The house boy quickly picked up the tray and headed for the door, but the prince would not leave him be.

“Wait, Minghao! Stay with us. Don’t you want to spend one last night with Junhui before he marries another? Or should I just have another servant come and entertain my guest?”

The Omega turned around and snarled at the obnoxious Alpha. “Why are you doing this?!”

Longfei howled with depraved laughter. “Because it’s fun! I’ve always wanted to see you two suffer - the same way you both made me suffer all these years!”

Minghao wanted to tear the room apart and break everything valuable inside. His blood was boiling, and he was one step away from ripping the prince’s balls off.

“What are you talking about?!” he shouted back. “You have everything you could ever want in life! Don’t you dare talk as if either of us had done anything to ruin it!!!”

“Oh, but you two did!” Longfei asserted, eyes wide as he spoke with a deranged smile. “You two have been getting on my nerves since we were children! Pretending to be friends when it was so obvious you two were just _dying_ to be together! I can’t see either of you happy. Neither of you deserve it!”

Minghao chucked the tray he was holding at the prince’s head. “Shut up, you insolent piece of filth!”

The metal collided with Longfei’s forehead, and the impact had cut into his skin and drew blood. 

The scarlet liquid dripped between his eyes, and the Alpha stood up slowly, shaking in fury was he bared his teeth at his servant.

“ _No, you shut up, Omega!_ ” he roared.

Minghao succumbed to his Alpha command, and his lips sealed tightly under the pressure. This was the first time anyone had ever commanded him in this way, and his bones were burning from the agony as his spirit tried to fight for control over his own body.

“Now get on the table!” Longfei said next after haphazardly pushing off all the food laid out on top it.

The Omega gritted his teeth, moving as he'd been told and draping himself over the wood. His throat was clamping down as he tried to cry out while Longfei stalked around him and began unfastening his robes. 

Junhui scrambled to his feet, shocked at what his cousin was doing. “Longfei! You can't be serious!”

The Alpha prince growled at him. “What? You think I can’t get it up like you can?! Well guess what, dear cousin, I’m going to have my way with this house boy like you've been doing for months! This is my parting gift to you, Junhui! Watch me consume his body right in front of your very-”

Before he could finish his insufferable disquisition, Junhui captured Longfei’s throat in his hands and shoved him to the floor.

“I can't believe this! You sick bastard! _How dare you?!_ Who the hell do you think you are? Did you really think I would just watch you violate Minghao?! What kind of perverted psychopath are you?!!!” 

For the first time in his life, Junhui had raised his voice at the very top of his lungs. His chest was swirling with hate, and he wanted nothing more than to strangle his cousin.

No, he could not even consider Fu Longfei as family anymore.

This was too much. He had gone too far.

“I took on your hate for years! I kept quiet because I hoped my suffering would erase your pain! But I was wrong, I should have never taken the blame for your mother’s death! I should never have let you treat me like scum for so many years! I owe you nothing, Longfei! You can’t have Minghao! You will _never_ have him as long as I’m his Alpha!”

Junhui lifted the prince off the floor to knee him in the stomach. Longfei vomited blood and called for help, but instead of hesitating, Junhui yanked his hair and threw him across the room. 

The Alpha prince’s body crashed into fine porcelain decorations. The sharp edges buried into his head and exposed skin, and he struggled to crawl away with all the porcelain imbedded in his body.

Minghao was liberated from his commands.

Both he and Junhui sauntered to stand over his body, and the Omega hovered over him with revulsion for moment, before delivering a violent blow to the Crown Prince’s face. 

Fu Longfei lost consciousness after taking the hit, but that did nothing to stop Minghao from continuing his enraged punches.

* * *

“They’re going to kill us tomorrow,” Minghao stated, head leaning against the metal bars of his prison cell.

The handmaidens had heard the prince’s cries for help, and so in their panic, they summoned the Alpha guards and sent them to Longfei's room. The men rushed in and pulled Minghao and Junhui away from the bleeding prince - now hardly recognizable after Minghao had pulverized his face.

The guards took turns swinging fists at them, until they were both bloody and broken and bereft of their fighting spirits. Soon after, they were thrown into the dungeons, where they were both to await further retribution once the king had been informed of the incident that had just taken place.

Junhui was in a separate cell adjacent to Minghao’s. There was a wall between them, but they could still hold hands by reaching forward through the bars.“At least now I know I won’t be marrying some stranger in Begonia Highland…but I wish you could have just let me take all the blame. You shouldn't be in here waiting for death with me.”

“What are you talking about? Let me take some of the credit here. I was the one who demolished Longfei’s ugly face. I may not be a god, but what I had done should be considered a heavenly miracle. He looks so much better now. The world will thank me someday.”

Minghao's statement had the Alpha laughing hard, but as his guffawing died down, Junhui’s hand began tightening around the Omega’s.

“I don’t want you to perish, Hao Hao.”

Tears spilled from the servant’s eyes, but his mouth did not unleash any wails or whimpers. “I don't want you to die either, but escaping isn’t very plausible right now. I think they dislocated my ribs.”

“You’re lucky then. I think they broke my arm and my shoulder.”

Ah, there really was no hope for them then.

“I’m so happy I met you in this lifetime,” Junhui confessed. “I want you to know that I’ve always loved you, Xu Minghao, and I hope I can get the chance to love you again in my next lifetime.”

Minghao could no longer restrain his sobs. He had to bite his lip and sniffle before finally speaking. “I mean…what’s not to love about me? I’m…I’m so amazing.”

The Omega sighed at his own stubbornness. Perhaps his mother had been right all along. Maybe he really shouldn’t have spent time with all those hooligans when he was a child.

“I love you too, Wen Junhui,” he finally admitted properly. “I love you very much actually, even more than I love myself.”

Forget it. His mother was wrong. 

He learned how to defend himself and fight because of them, and Junhui loved him even though he was like this.

“Thank you for telling me, Hao Hao,” the Alpha said. “I would rather die with you than marry someone else.”

“And I would die rather than be a servant here for the rest of my life.”

Junhui tore the end of material of his white inner robe and tied it around his and Minghao’s wrists, connecting them like a red thread of fate would…only theirs was white and crafted from their own choice to be each other’s mates. “Until the very end, it will always be you.”

Both of them smiled, resigned and unafraid of death.

“Until the very end…”

* * *

Everyone in the palace had been ordered to witness this rare trial.

Wen Junhui and Xu Minghao stood side by side, holding hands as they faced the wrath of the council and the emperor.

The sun was beating down on them from high in the sky, scorching the courtyard with heat, and unlike the noblemen sitting in the shaded comfort, nothing was blocking the harmless rays from blinding them.

For their crimes against the Crown Prince of the White Swan Empire, the final sentence was death by dismemberment.

The council asked the crowd if anyone dared to speak on the lovers’ behalf. 

But of course, no one had the gall to say anything that could jeopardize their own lives.

There was nothing that could save them. 

Not even Junhui’s position as an honorary branch member or even just being the emperor's nephew could spare him.

Junhui and Minghao gazed at each other with tenderness and love, silently promising to one another that they would meet again someday. Maybe then, the world would be less cruel.

Maybe then, they would not have to part in this way.

_Good bye, Wen Junhui._

_Farewell, Xu Minghao._

But...

Before the horsemen could come and lead them to their demise, a giant Alpha emerged from the crowd and flailed his hands around to catch everyone’s attention. 

“ _Jamkkanman! Jamkkanman!!!_ ” he spoke urgently, in a language no one understood. “ _Hansol-ah!_ ”

Another Alpha surfaced from the crowd, and he rushed to his foreign companion’s side. 

They briskly conversed, and the shorter Alpha relayed their message in the White Swan Empire’s official language…but with a terrible accent and a frighteningly horrible use of words.

“Fu boy…No! Fu prince! Fu prince…uh- punchy punchy…oh hurt? Why is the noodle?” he spoke, wildly gesturing to Longfei’s bandaged face. 

Hansol, the awful interpreter, then pointed in Minghao and Junhui’s direction. “Fish sauce?”

“What???” the emperor yelled.

The remarkable-looking Alpha pondered for a moment to determine the right words to say. To aid himself in this impossible venture, he started using even more vague body language. “Fu prince…chicken…hurt chicken…fish Alpha punch? Fish sauce Omega?”

“I think they want to know who punched the Crown Prince, Your Majesty,” one of the councilmen whispered to their ruler.

Emperor Yue leered at the two foreigners, before declaring loud and clear, “It was the Omega who disfigured my son.”

“Omega?!” Hansol turned to the taller Alpha with eyes widened in surprise. “Omega!”

“Seungkwan!” the giant menace yelled, and an Omega carrying a heavy box stumbled his way into the open field.

The tall foreigner then unlocked it and dumped the shining contents at the emperor’s feet. “Pear,” he stated.

But they were not pears at all.

These were coins made of pure gold.

“Alpha…Omega…” he gestured to Minghao and Junhui and placed his hand over his palm.

The three foreigners wanted Wen Junhui and Xu Minghao in exchange for all the gold they’d arrived with.

…And to the astonishment of everyone watching, the Emperor of the White Swan Empire said _yes_.

* * *

“Hansol-ah, you did a really good job back there,” Mingyu complimented his friend. 

They were all sitting beneath the protection of a dense tree line, taking a break from the long hours of trekking they’d just accomplished.

"Thanks, hyung. I thought I’d gotten rusty, but I really do think they understood me perfectly!” Hansol said with a grin. “Aren’t you glad that Seungkwan and I came along?”

“I am. Who would have ever predicted I would cross paths with a citizen from the Island of Paeonia and a master of so many languages?”

“This is why you need to travel more, hyung! So you can easily integrate yourself into different cultures!”

“Uhm, Hansol? Mingyu-hyung?” Seungkwan interposed with a scandalized expression on his face. “Did you say the two people we just rescued were… _twin brothers_?”

“Yeah, I’m quite certain that’s what the Alpha told me earlier,” Hansol affirmed. “Why?”

The round-faced Omega gulped. “W-Well, is it normal for brothers from the White Swan Empire to be so _affectionate_?”

The three of them turned to the Alpha and Omega ardently wrapped in each other’s arms - kissing so intensely it almost looked like they were going to have sex right then and there.

“O-Oh…uhh…m-maybe I heard wrong? Maybe t-they’re uhh…half… _half-brothers_?” Hansol stammered, before finally looking away and twiddling with his fingers.

“I don’t think they’re related at all,” Mingyu commented.

He should probably just bring Jeonghan and Jisoo with him next time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOOD *in Soyeon's voice*
> 
> Wow alright so first off, I just want to apologize for the delayed update. Life got in the way, and it also didn't help that I wanted to fit JunHao's backstory into one chapter. It ended up becoming 26 pages when usually a chapter is around 12-15. So hopefully, the length will make up for the wait. I will probably need a break after writing this, but I will try not to make it too long. I have another exam coming up so soon because of the Rona situation. So please bear with me while I get my life together.
> 
> Some thing I need to clear up: Mingyu, Hansol, and Seungkwan originally traveled to the White Swan Empire to seek an alliance with the Fu Clan, but after seeing how Minghao had massacred an Alpha's face, Mingyu changed his mind and thought it better to buy Jun and Minghao's freedom. Mingyu has always had this accurate 6th sense of who was good or evil. It was something he learned from being around Jisoo for so long. So he just knew he had to save the two lovers from getting dismembered. Hansol had been to the White Swan Empire when he was younger, and he actually lived there for a couple of months before moving on to a different nation with his vagrant family. So he was able to pick up the language, but of course, he could not retain all the vocabulary without practice. 
> 
> Now let me introduce a fun little corner here called WAYS TO RUIN THIS FIC (I thought of these as I was writing this chapter HAHAHAHAHA):  
> 1.) SoonGyu sex scene but then I throw in here that Soonyoung has a vagina  
> 2.) Everyone dies in the end  
> 3.) Ending this fic Game of Thrones style and killing Soonyoung then sending Mingyu to live in a wall forever  
> 4.) Never finishing this fic at all  
> 5.) SoonGyu end up marrying other people
> 
> Just to be clear, these were all just funny thoughts, and they're not actually going to happen. Very sorry to the VaginaSoonyoung stans out there.
> 
> I hope this made you guys smile! Thank you for making it all the way to 19 Chapters! I appreciate you guys! See you all in Chapter 20!


	20. Chapter 20

_Between the time when flowers bloom and scatter, scars heal and sprouts emerge. We live for this moment, the first and last. That's why I won't take you for granted, because you love somebody like me..._

_-Seventeen, Fallin' Flower (2020)_

“You’re going to be just fine,” Jihoon reassured the Omega prince as he smoothed down Soonyoung’s new nightshade robes. “We all know Mingyu’s upset, but he can’t stay mad at you forever.”

Wonwoo plopped a crown made of different-colored firestorms on top of the prince’s head. “Yeah, and the moment he sees how cute and adorable you are looking like this, all his anger is going to melt away.”

“Exactly,” Junhui concurred, patting away the sweat pouring down the prince’s forehead and temples with a cloth napkin. “Why are you so nervous? It’s not like he’s going to kill you…”

Soonyoung had to painfully swallow the dread lodged in his throat. “I’m not worried about Mingyu killing me… I’m worried about _the pups_ killing me…”

The King of Gwangsan Kim was deep in the meadows, sitting beneath the gloomy sky as seventeen fire hound puppies were all surrounding him. They were either playing with one another or cuddling into Mingyu’s broad body, so should any of them combust while the Alpha and the prince were talking, Soonyoung knew he was going to die. 

“The pups? But those little babies are harmless,” their biased caretaker defended them, flippantly waving away the Kwon prince’s concerns. 

“You only say that because they can’t burn you,” Jihoon groused, indignantly eyeing the easygoing Alpha. “The last time I tried to pet their mom, my hand almost got torched.”

Junhui could not be fazed. “Your hand was probably too cold, and she was just trying to make you feel more comfortable. None of them have ever burned Minghao.”

“That’s because they’re scared of him,” Wonwoo interposed. 

“Not a chance. The fire hounds love Minghao.”

The Omega prince took a few deep breaths, trying to ease the erratic beating of his heart with calming thoughts. They were just puppies. He’d handled them before and lived to tell the tale. All he had to do now was approach them again without malicious intent and weave his way around them to get to Mingyu.

“Look, Wangja-nim,” Junhui said to him, sensing his unyielding anxiety. “Don’t listen to these scaredy cats. Trust me. Don’t even worry about the puppies. They won’t do anything to you while Mingyu’s there.”

Soonyoung sighed dolefully, frustrated with himself and everything he'd done. “I really should go talk to him.”

The physician gave him one final pat on the shoulder. “ _Really_ talk this time. Listen to what he has to say, because he would do the same for you.”

Jihoon was right. 

Mingyu wasn’t a horrible Alpha. Mingyu wasn’t going to treat him unkindly or hurt him just because he could.

“Thank you. Thank you for giving me a second chance,” the Omega prince said to the three friends, smiling in gratitude for all the endless encouragement he received from them.

Throughout the whole afternoon, they’d been coaxing him to speak with Mingyu as soon as possible, and without their help, Soonyoung wouldn’t have ever found the right words to say. The message was clear in his heart, but after everything that happened, his mind had not been sure of how to deliver such a heavy, emotional encumbrance. Thankfully, he now had three new comrades willing to guide him in the right direction.

“Don’t waste it,” Wonwoo responded with a small grin. 

With determination in his features, Soonyoung exited the back gates and scurried towards the king.

“Ah, look at that,” Jihoon crooned, watching as the Omega prince tumbled onto the ground and got up with mortification sketched into his pink face. “Our Mingyu really won over the prince of his dreams…”

There was green grass all over Soonyoung’s robes, and the flower crown atop his head was disheveled with the rest of his now messy hair. Still, he charged forward with confidence, completely unaware of how he ruined his own appearance.

“He really does deserve happiness,” Wonwoo added, holding back a cringe. “After everything he’s done for all of us, Mingyu deserves it.” 

Junhui released an adoring sigh at how beautiful the scene looked. The prince was just few more steps away from Mingyu, and with the view they had here, it was even more romantic than any scholarly depiction of lovers he’d ever seen before. “I wish I was gifted enough to paint a picture of this very moment.”

The pups spotted Soonyoung and immediately abandoned their playtime in order to tackle him before he even had the chance to run away. The Omega released a bloodcurdling scream, and he fell onto his back as multiple hounds pounced onto him and licked at his face. The prince then proceeded to roll downhill, with Mingyu and some of the other puppies chasing after him.

Jihoon and Wonwoo sharply turned to Junhui with frowns on their face. 

“Speaking of this very moment…” the Alpha redirected the conversation, ignoring the massacre taking place from afar. “Do you guys think it’s too early to start drinking?”

At the mention of alcohol, his friends’ faces lit up, and they forgot all about the Kwon prince in peril.

Why were they even worrying?

Soonyoung would be fine. Mingyu was there with him anyway.

“Well, it’s dusk somewhere!” Jihoon stated, rushing back into the palace as the two Alpha men quickly followed behind him.

Junhui grinned sheepishly as all the blame slowly lifted off his shoulders and buried itself below the dirt.

* * *

When Mingyu finally dug him out of the puppy pile, Soonyoung was disoriented and very much covered in drool, sweat, and grass. The Alpha lifted the prince into his arms and shooed away the overexcited hounds from trying to lick at the Omega and chew on his robes.

Surprisingly, the flower crown was still on his head, even though it was missing more than a few petals.

“Did I die? Am I dead?” he asked dizzily, barely hanging on to Mingyu’s thin garments. 

“No, Wangja-nim, you’re fine. I sent the pups away.” 

The king wasn’t looking at him in the eyes, and he said nothing about the funny way Soonyoung’s hair was sticking up at different angles and littered with more twigs than blossoms. Instead, the Alpha simply carried Soonyoung to a certain cherry blossom tree and gently laid him against the trunk. With the changing of the seasons, the tree was now bare, but the memories of the day he’d hugged Mingyu beneath its falling flowers still remained.

“You can rest here and enjoy the sunset,” the Alpha king stated passively. “I’ll put the pups back in their playpen and leave you be.”

Despite the nauseousness still plaguing him, Soonyoung leapt forward and grabbed at Mingyu’s hand to stop him. “Wait, please don’t go!”

There was no contempt in the king’s gaze, but it was achingly hollow and stony, even more than when Mingyu was still _just a cook_. The prince never wanted the Alpha to look at him in this way ever again.

“What do you want, Wangja-nim?” he asked quietly, doing nothing to wrench his limb out of the two hands pulling at it. 

The prince winced from the lack of harshness in Mingyu’s tone. Until now, he was still being so dulcet and thoughtful. How was there someone like Kim Mingyu in this world? “I just wanted to say I’m sorry.”

A glow of warmth reached the Alpha’s brown orbs, and it emboldened Soonyoung to keep going.

“I’m so so sorry, Mingyu. I was so sure you were going to hurt me, but you didn’t. You did everything you could to save me and give me a new home with a new family. I’m sorry I tried to run away, and I’m sorry I didn’t truly listen to what you had to say. I promise I won’t be stubborn anymore. I will never think of you in a horrible way ever again. So please, _please_ …please forgive me…”

The king crumbled to his knees before the Omega prince, his expression dismayed and boundless with woe. “No…hyung… _Soonyoung-hyung_ …”

Mingyu was speaking his name with so much pain and so much relief at the same time. But in the depths of his voice and his every breath, the only thing that could be heard was love. _So much love_. 

This was indeed an Alpha in love.

He encompassed Soonyoung’s hands into his own and lifted them to his lips. “I should be the one who’s sorry. I was the one who ruined everything.”

“Please don’t say that…” the prince implored sorrowfully. “I do wish you’d said something to me sooner, but…Mingyu, you didn’t _ruin everything_. You didn’t ruin anything at all. In fact, I want to thank you….for saving me from Oeseong Kwak…for saving me from all those Alphas from Mount Magnolia…and for loving me all these years. I owe you so much, and I really do want to make it up to you.”

The king firmly shook his head. “Hyung, there really is no need.”

“I know! Not in _that_ way,” Soonyoung hurriedly clarified, face coloring more closely to red than pink. “But there has to be _something_ I can do to make amends.”

For all the trouble he’d given Mingyu…and for everything his family had done to the Alpha’s - that had been understandable enough. It didn’t need to be said time and time again.

“Hyung…nothing can be done to bring my parents back,” the king answered sagaciously. “The past is in the past, and it’s better if we do not dwell in it any longer…” 

The prince felt his chest tighten, still shameful of everything Andong Kwon had done to Mingyu and his pure soul. “I…yes…and for that I am very sorry…I will refrain from bringing it up again…”

Even if nothing could ever be enough to erase the sins of his clan, Soonyoung silently promised to take extra care of the King of Gwangsan Kim for the rest of his life. That was the least he could do, but more importantly, that was what his heart wanted to do as well. 

“But…there is something you can do to make me feel better,” Mingyu resumed, eyes soft as they stared into the prince’s orbs.

“Please, anything.”

Mingyu pulled him up onto his feet, and with their fingers intertwined, he said, “Train with the Omegas in Firestorm Fortress…”

“Train with them? To fight? But I-” 

_I can’t_ , Soonyoung wanted to utter, but he had already said he would do anything. “I mean…why…why _this_?”

“Hyung, weren’t you trained to fight with a sword back in the Aster Province? I could see it in your stance all those times you tried to fend for yourself.”

Futilely.

_Futilely_ had to be added to that sentence, but the prince knew Mingyu was much too kind to say that out loud.

“My sword training stopped after I presented,” the Omega answered ruefully. “I haven’t wielded a sword in years.”

The Alpha plucked a few pieces of grass off of Soonyoung’s face. “Then, we will continue your training here. I know you can do it. You still have a fighting spirit inside you.”

“Mingyu, I…” The prince did not want to say _no_ , but in all honesty, he was afraid to say yes. It was almost crippling to ponder upon holding a sword again. After he’d been told again and again that Omegas were incapable of defending themselves, Soonyoung had absorbed those words deep within himself. Now, there was someone who believed he _could_ fight, and it was somewhat difficult for him to assimilate that information.

Was this how the other Omegas here felt before they found their strengths?

Even with the hindrances of being an Omega, they managed to build muscle and do incredible feats even most Alphas could not accomplish. 

Could he do it too? 

Maybe he really could if Mingyu believed in him like this. 

“I’ll do it,” Soonyoung spoke tenaciously. “I’ll train…but can you please tell me why this is the request you chose?”

With an overwrought expression, the king placed a warm hand against the Omega’s cheek. “Because there may come a time when even I cannot protect you, and I want to be sure you can hold your own against any Alpha that tries to hurt you…”

“That’s…that’s just so…”

Sweet?

Romantic?

Oh gosh. 

Mingyu really did love him, didn’t he?

What had Soonyoung gotten himself into?

* * *

Boo Seungkwan had been delighted upon seeing Soonyoung enter the training precinct early the next day, especially since the Omega prince was being escorted by the king himself. 

“I’m so glad you’re both on good terms now!” he said candidly, beaming at them with unmatched exuberance. The prince found it heartwarming to see such joy radiating from him before dawn had even settled into the sky. Soonyoung really did miss the sonorous Omega, and he was so thankful that there were so many loving people here taking good care of Seungkwan every single day.

Xu Minghao, of course, was not at all elated by his presence. He simply scowled at both Soonyoung and Mingyu, before roughly handing them practice swords to use for the day. Despite the lack of affability he’d shown, Junhui insisted that the lieutenant general was actually very, very happy deep down inside, and the Alpha was certain about his claim because he knew his crabby lover the best. The Kwon prince could only trust in his words, since he was in a better state of friendship with Junhui more so than with Minghao.

The Crown Prince of Gwangsan Kim was also there, and he’d already started training before anyone else in the palace had woken up that morning. But even though he’d been at it for at least two hours, Chan was not showing any signs of fatigue in his face or in his demeanor. He was jolly and zestful, and above all, the boy was cordial and respectful beyond what was expected of his age. The main palace dwellers had truly done a wonderful job at raising him.

“Oh, Wangja-nim, I’m so excited for you to be joining us!” Chan welcomed him with a vibrant smile.

Jeonghan had volunteered to review sword fighting techniques with Soonyoung, while Wonwoo was the first to be assigned as Soonyoung’s sparing buddy for hand-to-hand combat. The two Alphas were usually in charge of troop maneuvers and skill-sharpening, since they’d both been part of an army back in the previous kingdoms they inhabited. So they were going to serve as the Prince of Andong Kwon’s mentors. 

He would have guessed that he’d be paired with the other Omegas first, but Mingyu explained that Seungkwan and Minghao were more vicious than Alphas in battle. Chan, on the other hand, was overzealous with training and would probably wear Soonyoung down too quickly, because the king’s son always had way too much energy to burn.

The Kwon prince would be training with Jihoon, Hansol, and Seungcheol later, on a more intermediate level. The three were brawny in terms of short-range combat, and Hansol was specifically good at maneuvering his body to evade grappling attacks and punches. Jihoon and Seungcheol were very strong, and their drastically different heights would give Soonyoung a chance to experience fighting people with varying body shapes and sizes. 

Although Junhui was more focused on training the fire hounds, as well as training the other soldiers in handling them during combat, he was quite decent with a sword and could even fight with two in each hand if need be. So training with him would serve as a good challenge before going against Chan in the future.

Fighting Seungkwan and Minghao was quite a distance away, but once he reached a certain level of mastery, Mingyu would then allow Soonyoung to spar with them. 

“When would I be fighting you?” the prince asked teasingly.

The king chuckled as he strapped blank vambraces over Soonyoung’s forearms. “There is no need for that. You would win against me every single time.”

“Oh, please,” the Omega playfully rolled his eyes. “You’re the one with the fire powers. I’m just a regular person. I don’t have anything special.”

Mingyu looked down at their hands. He fondly held Soonyoung’s left wrist and traced the lines of his palm with a gentle finger.

“You do though…”

“Really now?” the prince tittered, slightly confused as to why the king deviated from following the direction of the lines in his hand.

“You have a heart unlike any other…” the Alpha stated, before pressing a kiss into the Omega’s hand and walking away with a ludic smile on his lips.

Mingyu hadn’t been tracing his palm marks.

He had been spelling out _Saranghae_ in Soonyoung’s hand the entire time.

* * *

The first few weeks of training had been crazy. 

Every night, the Omega prince was going to bed sore and hardly able to move. He was so out of shape that doing the bare minimum with Jeonghan and Wonwoo was already tiring him out.

There was no room for skipping meals. Soonyoung began gobbling up all the food placed in front of him at every repast. He was constantly ravenous from the sudden increase in his physical activities, and he couldn’t even think about depriving himself. His body needed the added sustenance in order to build his endurance and strength now more than ever.

He was doing this for Mingyu, after all. So no matter how much his muscles ached or how many bruises began sprouting all over his body, the prince was willing to brave through it all.

“When are you going to decorate your vambraces?” Wonwoo asked him, just lightly out of breath after the three rounds they’d done in a row.

Soonyoung, on the other hand, was dying on the precinct floor. “Decorate? Decorate what?”

The Alpha hunkered down to show off the chrysanthemums etched into the metal on his forearms. “We’re free to decorate it in whatever way we wish, and the soldiers usually chisel in their favorite flowers. The more defects- or rather, _the more elaborate the design_ …the stronger the metal becomes.”

He remembered seeing different blossoms on the vambraces of other palace dwellers, and the prince felt even more admiration for the King of Gwangsan Kim. The color of nightshade tied them all together, but Mingyu didn’t force them to wear his beloved firestorms. His men were free to express themselves on their armor, and even though it seemed like something insignificant, the gesture was actually bold and forthcoming.

The king had full confidence and trust in his people, and in return, they had unquestionable loyalty and respect for him.

“Can you teach me how? Please, Wonwoo-ssi?”

“Of course, Wangja-nim.”

Right before dinner, Soonyoung and Wonwoo sat in the middle of the grand staircase to commence with their engraving lessons. 

It was very tricky at first, but once the Omega had gotten the hang of it, Wonwoo allowed him to whisk away his engraving tools and flee into the secrecy of his room to finish his work.

He knew exactly what flowers he wanted, since he hadn’t seen anyone else wearing them on their metal plates.

The next day, Mingyu was the first to see what Soonyoung had designed, and he blushed at the sight of firestorms all over the prince’s forearms.

“H-Hyung…you…but they’re not-”

“Calico asters? I know,” the Omega stated casually, but the tone in his next few words were laced with a subtle coyness . “I guess I just found another flower to love even more…”

After that flirtatious incident, the king found himself unable to focus on training, and Minghao had to admonish him for being too distracted while sword fighting. 

“See? This is why you shouldn’t be training with him at the same time! I knew this would happen!” the willowy Omega reprimanded him more viciously than a mother would. “Be glad I am skilled enough to foil my own attacks. What would have happened if I actually stabbed you?!”

But the Alpha had only been partially listening to Minghao’s sermon. His attention was fixated on the Prince of Andong Kwon, who was struggling to block Jeonghan’s oncoming barrage of attacks. Soonyoung was making all sorts of funny and ugly faces as he was failing miserably at life. His expressions were all uncontrolled and genuine, and Mingyu was mesmerized by each and every one of them. 

“Ah, thank you so much, Minghao,” he muttered affectionately, eyes still stuck on Soonyoung’s ridiculous conveyances. “It would have been awful if I’d bled to death before I could marry Soonyoung-hyung. What am I going to do, Minghao? He’s just so perfect…”

Mingyu looked absolutely lovestruck, and Minghao was tempted to just stab him for real to bring him back down to earth. 

Then, the fresh engraving on Soonyoung’s previously unmarked vambraces caught his attention, and the willowy Omega realized why Mingyu was acting more enamored than ever before. 

Minghao rolled his eyes at the gross display of affection and cried out at the top of his lungs, “Kwon Soonyoung, stop flirting with the king!!!” 

* * *

Before he knew it, an entire month had passed. Training every single day had caused the days to fly by so much quicker, and the changing of his body had almost slipped his notice. 

Soonyoung never really enjoyed looking down at his own figure. Over the years, his mother had criticized it enough for him to know it wasn’t very pleasing to gaze upon. After his presentation, his body had become incredibly pudgy, and according to his parents, he could only attract an Alpha by keeping his form thin and soft - free of heaviness and rigid tones that defied submissiveness. 

The prince knew he was no longer lissom now. His muscles were starting to feel more solid, and his skin was much firmer over his belly and thighs. There were faint lines going down his stomach region too, contouring over the thews in a somewhat coquettish manner. 

Even though he felt incredibly healthy and sprightly, Soonyoung still felt anxious about the changes. He wondered what Mingyu would think about all this. Would the king be repulsed by the lack of softness in his limbs? Would he think the Omega appeared too bulky with all his newly formed muscles? Would the Alpha not want him anymore once they were both naked in bed?

These ill thoughts plagued him during the night, when everything was quiet and he was alone in the darkness of his bedroom. It was like his parents were there with him, muttering in his ears how ugly and worthless he was…how an Alpha would never want him like this. The prince couldn’t help but think and think until he succumbed to weariness and fell asleep. But then once morning came and he found Mingyu smiling at him beneath the breaking dawn, Soonyoung forgot all about his worries. 

Because whenever the king looked at him, the Omega felt like he was the most beautiful person in the world. There was never any repugnance in Mingyu’s gaze, and his mouth only ever sung praises about the prince. 

If another person could see his worth...and valued his heart beyond imagination, then it was only right that Soonyoung do the same.

The prince knew his endless cycle of self-loathing was going to be a hard habit to break, but this was one battle he had to face and conquer alone. Even if the ill thoughts kept coming back, Soonyoung now had the weapons to fight them off. 

His parents had been wrong. He could be himself, and someone would still love him. He did not have to fit into a mold just to attract an Alpha. He was a person who had opinions and emotions. He was not an object meant to only sit in a corner and stay quiet, pretty, and empty. 

There was more to life than that.

He deserved more than that.

Thanks to Mingyu and the residents of Firestorm Fortress, Soonyoung knew that now. 

As he walked through the snowy garden - bundled up in thicker seasonal robes, the Omega prince smiled at the Alpha king waiting for him underneath a gazebo. 

“Hyung, are you excited for the party tonight?” Mingyu asked once Soonyoung had reached him. 

It was Hong Jisoo’s birthday today, and because of this special occasion, everyone was given a rare day off from physical training. Most of the soldiers were enjoying the respite with their families in the city. The main palace dwellers, however, were busy preparing for the Second Prince’s dinner celebration. 

“I am!” he answered, boldly taking the king’s warm hands into his own. To Soonyoung, this was no longer as scandalous as it used to be, but Mingyu would still turn bright red whenever the Omega initiated handholding between them. “Are you sure I can’t do anything to help?”

The king shook his head, absently rubbing the skin on the back of Soonyoung’s hands with his thumbs. “Jeonghan-hyung already divided all the tasks between the ten of us, but I wouldn’t mind having someone accompany me throughout the day.”

“So you can carry heavy stuff in front of me and show off all your muscles in your flimsy robes?” the prince teased him, grinning as Mingyu gaped and looked away in embarrassment.

“H-hyung! My body gets overheated whenever I wear a full set! And-and Jihoon-hyung is in charge of moving the furniture around today. Not me. I’m just s-setting up decorations in the throne room.”

Soonyoung chuckled at the Alpha’s cute reaction. “Mingyu-yah, I was just kidding!”

“You’re so cruel, hyung…” 

The Omega tiptoed and placed a chaste kiss on Mingyu’s cheek, all the while keeping their fingers interlocked. “There. Do you feel better now?”

The king swiftly turned to him in shock, before his gaze lowered to Soonyoung’s pink lips. “No, hyung…you just made everything worse…”

“O-Ohhh…” his voice faltered, sensing the ache in Mingyu’s voice. It was coming all the way from the Alpha’s heart. The prince could feel it in their deep, subconscious connection. But the ache wasn’t purely pain. There was something else - longing…desire…hesitance…

Mingyu wanted something, but…why was he was too afraid to tell Soonyoung?

“D-Did you want another? Another…uhm…kiss?”

He received a reluctant nod in response, and when the king lifted his gaze and their eyes met once more, the Omega’s heart began palpitating wildly. 

The Alpha wanted a different _kind_ of kiss…

…and Soonyoung wanted it too.

Snow was pouring lightly all around them. 

Soonyoung had never been surrounded by so much snow. There would be certain times in the Aster Province where it would sleet or hail, but white snow would never stick to the ground like it did in this region.

There was a cool breeze tickling his cheeks and lips, persuading him almost…to draw himself closer to the nearest source of warmth. 

The prince parted his lips and whispered, “Mingyu…” before his orbs shifted downwards and watched as the king’s mouth moved so delicately while saying his name.

“Hyung… _Soonyoung_ …” the Alpha breathed out, eyes half-lidded and under a dangerous trance. “I…can I…”

Like the gentleman he was, Mingyu was asking for permission when he could’ve easily stolen whatever he wanted so long ago.

This was the person who’d won his heart.

This was his Alpha.

His king…

His one true mate…

_His future husband…_

Without answering, Soonyoung lifted his heels and gently pressed his lips against Mingyu’s.

* * *

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!” they shouted in unison when Jisoo entered the throne room. The Second Prince was wonderfully surprised, eyes glistening as he beamed brightly at all the people who’d gathered there to greet him.

This was the first year they were properly celebrating Jisoo’s birthday, and Jeonghan had been very thorough with the preparations and gift selections. 

All around the throne, boxed presents were piled high on top of each other. Hundreds of preserved stargazers were lavishly bundled upon and adorned across the walls and table tops. Even the silken drapes had been changed to Jisoo’s favorite color, which was pale pink like his beloved flowers. Colored lanterns glowed generously in the massive space, and they illuminated the vast array of dishes displayed on the dining tables. 

Before the feast began, the members of their household all sat down to give the Second Prince of Namyang Hong their well-wishes and toast to another year in his life.

“Every day, I pray for Jisoo-hyung’s health to improve,” Jihoon stated. “I’m happy to have been blessed with the opportunity to care for him and to finally see his breathtaking smile. Jisoo-hyung, please don’t ever stop smiling. We’re all here for you, and we all love you so much.”

“Ji…Jisoo-hyung,” Mingyu began shakily. Even though he had not even shared his message, tears were already threatening to spill from his eyes. “W-We went through a lot together…you, Jeonghan-hyung, and I…we went through horrible things when we were younger. But we fought our way out of those hardships, and now we’re all together again. Words can’t describe how happy I was when you finally returned to us. I love you with all my heart, hyung. I missed you so much all these years, and I’m just so, _so_ glad you're back.”

The Second Prince’s orbs glistened, and he smiled widely at the Alpha king.

His lover, Jeonghan, was the next to speak, and he was already shedding tears of mixed emotions. “Jisoo…I…I’m just so happy you’re here, you know? I’m happy you’re with us, and even if you never came back, I would have still waited for you. No matter how long it took, I would have waited until you smiled again. Mingyu and I built this place to keep you safe and to give every lost soul a home like you would’ve done. You’re the light of my life. You’re the only one I will ever love. I just want you to be happy. That's all I could ever wish for. I love you…I love you so much!”

By now, there were no more dry eyes in the room. Every single one of their hearts could feel the sentiments in Jeonghan’s words. They all knew the tragic tale of the three friends, especially that of the two lovers. 

Jisoo was weeping as well as he clutched his Alpha’s hand. “Jeonghannie, I’m here now…and I will never leave you again…I love you too. I’ve always loved you too…”

“J-Jisoo-hyung…w-we…we love you…” Chan stuttered, rubbing at his eyes.

Seungkwan was bawling uncontrollably, and he could barely say anything. Beside him, Hansol was chuckling at his husband but also crying at the same time.

Even Minghao was trembling and holding onto Junhui’s hand tightly, sobbing quietly behind his sleeve. He weakly murmured out, “We love you,” just as every else in the room did one by one.

“I didn’t think I would ever gain a family like this…” the Second Prince said, lips quivering as tears poured down his cheeks. “I thought I’d lost everything, and I really thought I was going to die…I thought I-”

He had to pause and bite his lower lip, giving himself time to regain his composure. 

There was so much he still had not told them. Even his lover did not know everything that had happened to him all those years ago.

“For so long, I couldn’t wake up. I didn’t have the strength to live, until…until Mingyu told me he would be bringing Soonyoung-ssi back with him. I knew then that I had to get better. I had to see the person Mingyu has loved all these years, and most of all…I had to start living again so I could be with Jeonghan and give him all the love in my heart…while I’m... _still here_ …”

Jihoon closed his eyes and lowered his head, wincing from the stabbing pain in his chest. Jeonghan looked to him, and his heart plummeted to the ground. This wasn't the time to be sad though. This was not the time for them to talk about the future. They were supposed to be happy right now. He had to be happy for Jisoo...

“I’m here now, and I’m so grateful to each and everyone of you. Thank you for taking the time to celebrate my birthday with me this year…” Jisoo nodded to Mingyu as he finished his speech.

After hastily wiping away his tears, the king raised his glass. “To Hong Jisoo, Second Prince of the Baeghab Nation, may he live a long and beautiful life in the presence of those who love him most!”

“To Hong Jisoo!” everyone followed and tipped their glasses back to consume their drinks.

The celebration became much lighter as the night deepened. Tears were replaced with laughter as stories were shared around the tables. Everyone was drinking wine besides Jisoo, Soonyoung, and Mingyu, and the alcohol was quickly making them tipsy and merry. 

Junhui, Seungcheol, and Wonwoo had been in charge with cooking the food that day, and the elaborate meal they’d prepared was scrumptious. They made grilled beef, marinated pork, a variety of pickled vegetables, kimchi pancakes, and heaps of steaming rice. To the surprise of everyone, Wonwoo had even bought an expensive fish at the marketplace and learned how to debone and flavor it himself despite his notorious dislike of seafood. 

Another surprise they had not expected was the special noodle soup Seokmin had made while their emotional orations were being uttered. The newest palace dweller had added foreign ingredients into the dish, and everyone loved it so much that the pot had practically been licked clean by the end of the night.

Seokmin was an odd yet exuberant addition to their family, rivaling even Seungkwan with his abundance in energy and loudness. He was undoubtedly good-natured and just a bit naive at times. Everyone found delight in his presence, and Seokmin loved to make them laugh with his hilarious gestures and expressions. 

It was a wonderful celebration with all thirteen of them in the throne room. Games were played, songs were rendered, and poems were curated on the spot. Everyone was having fun and enjoying themselves, and Seokmin was glad he could witness his children all together like this one last time.

By midnight, the palace dwellers were no longer conscious. They'd been knocked out cold in the throne room, trapped into deep slumber by the magic in the special noodle soup. The only person left awake was the Beta who smelled like bergamots. 

He promised to return them to their beds and clean up the throne room later.

But for now, he had to perform his duty...and prevent an intruder from stepping into the palace…

* * *

Seokmin halted before the grand staircase, barring the encroachment of a certain entity who was not welcomed in this place.

“Dokyeom, _step aside_ ,” this dark being commanded, looming over the god like a shadowy nightmare. His outer appearance seemed human enough, but deep inside him was a monster hungry for blood. “You know you’re not allowed to interfere.”

Seokmin refused to move, scowling as his golden eyes smoldered with defiance.

“I am not interfering. I am simply standing in your way…”

“That Omega was destined to die,” the entity reminded him, snarling as he spoke. “There is nothing you can do to stop it.”

“I know…I created him…I know everything about him…”

“Then, get out of my way,” the evil being growled through his bared teeth.

But the god could not be intimidated. “ _No._ ”

“Dokyeom!!!”

“I created you too, Jonghyun. I know _everything_ about you too.”

“You did not create _me_. You created _this human._ _Jonghyun_ offered his body to me in exchange for power.”

The entity had possessed the Alpha king born from the Carnation Kingdom, and he had amassed vicious allies and new gifts with this new human body. 

They were after Bulgae’s gift now too, and Seokmin knew that their plans were almost complete.

But they could not succeed while Soonyoung was still alive. Jonghyun was well aware of it, and that’s why he was rushing. That’s why he had come all by himself on this wintry night. Because he and his allies were all growing impatient, and they wanted to get rid of every impediment to their wicked schemes once and for all. 

“That power you boast of will not work here…” Seokmin answered. “This entire kingdom was built on the ashes of blue roses. You cannot harm my children as long as they are here in this holy land.”

Anger burned through his enemy’s veins, and he bellowed out in unrestrained fury. “Lies!!! The blue roses are all dead! They cannot hinder my powers any longer!” 

Not all of the blue roses were dead though, but he couldn’t let Jonghyun figure that out. 

“A god has no need to lie, and a god certainly has no need to fear.” Seokmin brazenly stepped forward, glaring at the entity before him. “You think I would just let you march in here and kill Kwon Soonyoung? You obviously haven’t learned anything all these millenniums.”

“Neither have you, Dokyeom! Eunwoo died because of you, and now you have doomed that Omega to the exact same fate!”

“Eunwoo is gone! All that’s left of him is in that boy! Leave him alone! End this madness while you still can!”

“It will never end! Not until I’ve ridden the heavens and the earth of your godforsaken lover!!!”

“Kwon Soonyoung is not Eunwoo… he is my child!" Seokmin cried out. "He is _Eunwoo’s child_! Don’t do this. If you ever truly loved Eunwoo, you would not hurt his child. There is nothing for you to gain in killing him…”

The entity's aura darkened exponentially, and his eyes filled with black, burning hatred. “Then if you will not let me kill him tonight…I will destroy everything else you love instead…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clarifying things right now:  
> 1.) When Mingyu and Jeonghan were saying Jisoo was "gone", they meant him being an emotionless and unresponsive shell after they rescued him from Oeseong Kwak. He only recently "came back" mentally and started smiling again because he wanted to meet Soonyoung, and he wanted to show Jeonghan love while he still can.  
> 2.) Jeonghan doesn't have elemental powers. His clan, however, did have magical objects like blue roses that can in fact cancel out a god's powers. But planting them and using a drop of blood to sprout the flower seeds was needed to make the magic happen. It was a gift passed on to the Yoon Family by the goddess of luck - one of Seokmin's BFFs, but the knowledge was lost to the Yoon Family as the centuries went by. So Jeonghan doesn't know this. He has heard about another magical object their family used to have, but he doesn't believe it exists. The Yoon Clan isn't really a bunch of fighters.  
> 3.) Who is Eunwoo? I'm not sure when I'll be able to fit him in, but yes Seokmin and him were a thing. Feelings were hurt, and now Eunwoo's dead. Soonyoung is his "child" because of reasons related to the constellation things Seokmin previously talked about.  
> 4.) I hope I can add Seokmin's flower garden side story into one of the chapters soon. It's pretty sad, and it'll explain all this stars in the sky talk.  
> 5.) The dark entity possessed Kim Jonghyun (JR) from Nu'est not SHINee's beloved member. May he rest in peace.
> 
> Clarifying things about heats and ruts:  
> 1.) Omegas go into heat every 3-4 months. Alphas go into a rut once or twice a year.  
> 2.) Heats and ruts can trigger each other but not always. Most of the time, an Omega can be in heat but his Alpha never goes into a rut. Same can happen with an Alpha in a rut but his Omega doesn't go into heat.  
> 3.) Pregnancy usually happens when an Omega is in heat, but it may still happen even if they aren't in heat. It's rare but possible. That's why Jihoon stores a lot of herbal contraceptives and passes them out like candy. People in the palace are always very horny, especially since they exercise so much.  
> 4.) Alphas only knot when they are in a rut, but they can still get Omegas pregnant whether they have a knot or not. Again, it's rare but it can happen.  
> 5.) An Alpha in a rut will have red eyes. Omegas in heat have blue eyes. So when Soonyoung had black eyes in the chapter where he was forced into heat, Mingyu knew something was wrong, and he confirmed it when he saw the wound in Soonyoung's back.  
> 6.) I'm letting you guys know this now because what you've been waiting for is about to happen in the next chapter. FINALLY. Is Soonyoung gonna get pregnant? That question will be answered next time.  
> 7.) Jisoo hasn't gone into heat since he was rescued from Oeseong Kwak, and because Jeonghan is so devoted to him, his body has responded by never going into a rut. Another medical mystery for Jihoon to figure out. So nope, Jisoo and Jeonghan don't have sex. No sex = no kids. But right now, even if they did have sex, they still can't have kids because Jisoo's body is really messed up.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone is staying safe out there. So many countries are going through a lot of chaos right now, and I just hope you and your loved ones are out of harm's way. Here is a double update to make up for the days I made you all wait.

_Between the time when flowers bloom and scatter, scars heal and sprouts emerge. We live for this moment, the first and last. That's why I won't take you for granted, because you love somebody like me..._

_-Seventeen, Fallin' Flower (2020)_

The white blanket of the winter dissipated two full moons after Hong Jisoo’s birthday. Though the vestige of coldness still remained, the gusts had dwindled down into nothing more than the tail end of a hibernal tide. A new season was preparing to take its place, and the citizens of Firestorm Fortress were ready to receive the warmth with open arms.

Soonyoung could only compare himself to a plumule during this change. But like the flowers in Mingyu’s garden, he too was in the process of blooming. 

Training in the unforgiving frost had molded him drastically, and by the time spring had officially arrived, the Omega’s body had reformed itself like never before.

There were no longer any traces of roundness in him. His entire physique had firmed up and leaned out to the point where the muscles in his abdomen stayed contoured and defined even after his meals. 

The prince still smelled sweet, and his skin was still soft and supple, but physically and mentally, he no longer felt like the Omega he used to be.

Soonyoung was stronger now, and he felt so much healthier these days. He was livelier during conversations, and he was springing around lighter on his feet. His smiles were wider, and his eyes were even brighter. He was practically glowing wherever he went, and anyone could see that he was being well taken cared of in this place.

He was so much happier too. He loved spending time with the main palace dwellers each and everyday - training with them, eating an abundance of food with them, and laughing with them from morning ’til night. 

The King of Gwangsan Kim had bestowed upon him a _family_ , a _home_ , and a _freedom_ no other Alpha would have ever been generous enough to give.

Mingyu had shown him kindness and patience, and above all else, he’d shown the Omega a love unlike anything else he’d ever experienced.

In return, Soonyoung was absolutely enamored with him. He was so besotted - so full of love, and for Kim Mingyu, he was willing to do anything. 

He wanted so badly to devote his entire life to the Alpha. The prince wanted to give Mingyu the same loved he’d been given Soonyoung without question…without ill intent…without selfishness. 

How could someone be so good?

Who would have ever thought an Alpha, of all people, would be this wonderful?

There was just no escaping it. Soonyoung had been a goner the moment he’d first spoken to Mingyu, and he was more than happy to be trapped in this beautiful world with the king in its very center.

The Kwon prince owed him so much, and one lifetime would never be enough to make up for it.

_Nothing_ he could do would ever make up for it, but Soonyoung still wanted to give him everything anyway.

Would it be good to propose marriage again?

He did not wish to pressure Mingyu into it if now was not a good time, but the Omega was just so happy and so in love, and he could not wait to be married to the Alpha any longer.

So Soonyoung traveled to the market with Seungkwan after training one day, and upon their return at nightfall, he’d scurried to the kitchen with the gift he’d purchased still wrapped in his tight grasp.

It was a white jade and gold bracelet. He could not find the original vendor who’d sold him the ring, but another had been selling a circlet similar enough that it would seamlessly match the calico aster band.

The prince was ready to leap into the dining area and vow everlasting love to the king busy cooking everyone’s dinner…but a hand weighed him down and kept him in place before he could do so.

“Minghao?” he said in bewilderment, after turning around to see the willowy Omega. Jihoon was right beside him, and they were both looking at Soonyoung with grave expressions on their faces. 

Minghao had never really been one to show amusement around anyone, but seeing the physician stare at him with such anguish was all too new and unnerving. 

The prince shivered despite of the lack of frigidness in the air. They were obviously perturbed by a serious matter, and though he wanted nothing more than to help alleviate their distress, Soonyoung was afraid to find out how he factored into this grievance.

“Is everything alright?” the prince asked nervously, holding the small parcel close against his chest. “Is…Is Mingyu okay?”

“He’s fine, Wangja-nim…” Jihoon answered, and just as he’d said it, the smell of fire and burning meat wafted around them. 

His Alpha was cooking as he normally would. Nothing was askew on his end. 

The Kwon Omega was tempted to sigh in relief, but he knew that it would not be right to do so. Even if it wasn’t about their king, the problem was still there, and he prayed that it didn’t concern the health of any of his other family members.

Thankfully, the gods had been listening.

“It’s about _you_ ,” Jihoon followed solemnly, eyes still focused directly at the prince. “Minghao brought something to my attention, and…it would be best if we talk about this in private…”

He nodded in return, though he was unable to conjure a reason for them to be upset with him. 

Minghao did not seem angry, and the willowy Omega would have made it more than obvious if he was indeed mad. So it could not have been something Soonyoung had done.

But what else was there?

What was so bad that Minghao had to talk to Jihoon about it?

With one last longing glance in the direction of the kitchen, he motioned for the two to follow him, and for the first time in many months, Soonyoung had to ignore the hungry gnawing of his stomach.

* * *

There was a distinct iciness in his veins. His blood felt cold, and the tips of his fingers and toes were tingling unpleasantly. 

Trepidation kept finding its way back to him time after time, and he had to wonder when and if it would ever stop feeding off of his body. 

Soonyoung wondered if their king ever felt consternation like he did, but that felt like an impossibility. Kim Mingyu was regal and powerful. He had no need to fear anyone or anything.

The three Omegas were in the prince’s room, sitting quietly at the table where he sometimes intimately ate his meals with his Alpha. Both Minghao and Jihoon were across from him, poised in their seats, but visibly burdened by what was on their minds. 

They were all waiting for the physician to be the first to say something, and the hesitation in him to speak was almost palpable. 

Worry was heavy in the crease of Jihoon’s brows, and when he finally did begin talking, pain was stitched into every syllable that left his lips. “Please forgive me for not noticing sooner. I’m in charge of the health of every person in this palace, so I should have been the first to realize there was something going on. I’m so sorry, Wangja-nim.”

“Jihoon-ah, don’t be so hard on yourself,” Soonyoung tried to comfort him. “Surely, this can be fixed if we work together, right?”

The doctor’s gaze lowered in sadness and frustration, and Minghao had to respond for him. “We…don’t know yet…I am not an expert in the healing art, but even I know that these issues are difficult to remedy…”

His usually harsh voice was severely mellowed, and his tone was uncharacteristically soft. Even if the edges were still a bit jagged, there was no venom in Minghao’s words, and that was even more terrifying for the prince.

Somehow, the entire room had lost even more of its color, and the entirety of it was now painted in suffocating gloom. “Jihoon…Minghao…what is it that’s making you both act so strangely?” 

The physician tried to return to a passive state, but the torment in his face could not be hidden. With a painful heart, he uttered, “Wangja-nim…you’re long overdue for your heat.”

Soonyoung blinked in confusion. That was what they were worried about?

He remembered Minghao’s warning a few months ago, and it finally dawned to him why they were distraught. The two were probably scared he would cause mayhem by going into heat during training, and that would indeed be disastrous if it were to happen. 

“I…I’m sorry…I wasn’t trying to disrespect anyone.” The prince shrank into himself, embarrassed for unsettling them with his inconsiderate actions. “I just thought I could feel it coming and say something to the two of you or Seungkwan when the signs started showing. It should have come around Jisoo-hyung’s birthday, but…but it didn’t…and I hadn’t even realized until Chan went into heat. Even then, I wasn’t thinking too deeply about it. I’m sorry…I’m really sorry. Should I just stay in here until it comes? So I don’t go into heat around the Alphas?”

The willowy Omega shook his head. “The problem at hand is greater than that, Wangja-nim.”

“What do you mean?”

Minghao turned to the physician, and with a weak nod of his head, Jihoon took over the conversation once more.

“Do you remember what happened to you near the Town of Gardenia a while back?” 

Soonyoung could feel something odious stir inside his chest at the horrible memories. “I do recall…” he murmured uncomfortably. 

The incident had not been brought up since he’d returned to Firestorm Fortress. He knew Jihoon was not at all trying to hurt him, but the situation they were in felt even scarier now that the problem had something to do with that awful day.

If it hadn’t been for Mingyu, he really would have died in the hands of those despicable Alphas. 

Jihoon was nowhere near at ease talking about this either. “The poison…it triggered you to go into heat, but what you had was not a real one. It was unnaturally induced, and so you should have still succumbed to your regular cycle shortly after… But you never did, and since you haven’t, we can only hope that this is just a temporary side-effect from the poison… _unless_ …” 

“Unless?” Soonyoung parroted, leaning in closer.

Minghao awkwardly looked away, and for some odd reason, a certain idea entered the prince’s mind.

Did they think he was enceinte?!

In aghast, his cheeks immediately burned in scarlet, and the Omega cried out, “Jihoon-ah! Mingyu and I _did not_ mate in the forest! I-It could not be…it could not be _that_!”

The physician cringed at the volume Soonyoung’s screeching had reached - which was undoubtedly a result of spending so much time with Seungkwan. “No, I don’t think you are carrying a child, Wangja-nim. I…What I fear is that the poison may have done more damage to your body than we expected.”

There were hardly any records of Omegas surviving these poisons, so Soonyoung would never blame anyone, especially Jihoon, for not knowing. 

“H-How can we know for sure?” he queried.

“I have devised a plan of action,” the doctor responded, clear and a bit more confident. “There is a test we can do to be certain, and that is by feeding you an excessive amount of fertility herbs to see if it will draw out your heat.”

“But wouldn’t it be safer to wait for my heat to come naturally?”

Jihoon shook his head. “We don’t know when it will, and we need to find out if the poison really did do any lasting damage to your body… _before it’s too late_.”

The prince swallowed apprehensively. “Jihoon-ah…you’re scaring me…”

“I know this is a very aggressive method to use for a diagnosis, but we really need to know what we’re dealing with sooner than later. We need to know if the side-effects are still reversible…or if there is nothing we can do to fix what has been broken… Forgive me, Wangja-nim. I know I am being much too frank, but I cannot sweeten this bitter truth we all must face.”

It was awful to think that the greediness of Alphas would bring this much harm to him and to so many other Omegas they’d victimized. Even though they’d never gotten the chance to assault him, Soonyoung still felt like he’d been defiled.

If what Jihoon feared turned out to be true, then his body had truly been desecrated by those abominable Alphas from Mount Magnolia that day.

How much devastation had the poison really left before it finally cleared out of his system?

What else could they have missed?

What was going to happen to him?

“What will happen if my heat does not come?”

“When an Omega stops going into heat…it means that their reproductive organs have been impaired and…in most cases, they are no longer functioning…”

There was another Omega prince here in the palace who had also been ruined by Alphas in this way. His thoughts flitted sadly to Hong Jisoo and how he had always longed to make a family of his own with the person who loved the most. 

It was a simple dream - an innocent desire formed out of nothing but love, but still…still the Alphas had to take it away from him.

Now, they might have succeeded in stealing again from another.

“Then…that means… _I can’t have any children_?” Soonyoung breathed out in agony.

The physician peered at him apologetically. “I’m afraid not, Wangja-nim…”

This wasn’t right. How could this be his destiny?

What would Mingyu say?

What would happen to them if he could not give the king any offspring?

How could he marry his Alpha then?

“Jihoon…I’ll take the fertility herbs,” the Kwon prince muttered despondently, wincing at the severity of the predicament he was in. 

They had to know for sure. 

Before he could tell Mingyu anything, Soonyoung had to _know_.

There was no more room for secrets between them.

Whatever the outcome may be, he had to tell his Alpha king no matter what.

“How long will it take for the herbs to induce a heat?” Minghao asked, still without bane in his eyes or in his words. Maybe Junhui had been right all along. Maybe the willowy Omega did find some delight in Soonyoung’s company. Even if it were just a minuscule amount, it had been enough to soften him in the face of this problem.

The prince was glad that at least he was not alone in this.

“If he takes them everyday for three consecutive days, he should have it by the end of the week at the latest,” the doctor explained, fidgeting with the ends of his sleeves. “If not…then we will know for certain…”

They would know whether he was truly infertile or not, and if he were barren…the prince wasn’t entirely sure he could still have a future with Mingyu.

“But is one week enough to know?” the willowly Omega continued, and Jihoon found a bit more ease meeting Minghao’s gaze.

“Yes…I will be giving him fifty times the normal dosage. That should trigger him into heat in a matter of days. If I give him any more than that, it will only cause him to feel unwell.”

The Prince of Andong Kwon suspired from the encumbrance that had stabbed itself into his heart. It was so heavy in his chest, and it held each of his breaths hostage and drowned his lungs in despair.

“It would be safest for you to stay in your room then,” Minghao stated. Though his blank expression was not comforting, the tone in his voice was enough to offer the prince solace. “No contact with any of the Alphas. No training until we can figure out the next course to take.”

Soonyoung had no desire to oppose.

* * *

Mingyu, of course, was not happy about the news of his Omega’s isolation. Even though it would only last seven days, the Alpha king could not understand why he was not allowed to see even a single glimpse of Soonyoung during this voluntary seclusion. 

Upon the prince’s request, Jihoon had kept the matter temporarily confidential, and Minghao had never been one to gossip. No matter how much Mingyu had prodded him for enlightenment, his second-in-command would not budge. There was no point in talking about it now, when no one knew the truth just yet. 

“ _Hyung, please just tell me what’s wrong. What can I do to make it better?_ ” the Alpha begged outside his door, voice slightly muffled but comprehendible.

“ _Why must you be separated from me like this?_ ”

The prince frowned guiltily. It was better to let Mingyu know once they found out, rather than give him fragmented information that would not appease him and only cause him to worry more. “Mingyu-yah, I promise we will tell you once the seven days are up. Please be patient for just a little while. Could you do that for me?”

“ _I just want you to be okay_ ,” the king answered. “ _What kind of Alpha would let his Omega suffer by himself? What’s the point of having powers if I can do nothing to keep you safe and healthy?_ ”

Soonyoung wanted to cry from the aching pain twisted into Mingyu’s heartfelt words. He pressed his forehead against the wooden panel and said, “Please just trust me for now? Please, Mingyu?”

“ _I’ll always trust you, hyung._ ”

“Thank you.” His smile had a stain of sadness in the way his lips curled upwards. “After seven days, I will tell you everything.”

* * *

The Omegas of the palace rotated between themselves in bringing him food and the fertility herbs he had to consume. Seungkwan, Jihoon, Minghao, and Chan were all entering his room during various points of the day, empathetic and eager to see how he was doing. Even Jisoo would sometimes sneak into his room whenever Jeonghan was busy with his duties.

The small bursts of company helped stave off his boredom. They brought him crafts and told him stories, and a lot times, the other Omegas would speak with him for hours if they could.

“How are you and Wonwoo doing?” Soonyoung asked Chan on the second night. It was nice to have a different topic for discussion besides his bodily dysfunctions, and the youngest in the household was charmingly open with his thoughts and feelings.

The Crown Prince of Gwangsan Kim pouted as his head laid against Soonyoung’s lap. There were still remnants of a child in his handsome features, but Chan was undoubtedly growing more and more into an adult as the days went by. Though he was a cheerful lad, the Omega prince took after Mingyu’s seriousness more so than Jeonghan’s playfulness. 

“Oh, Wangja-nim, he’s awful!” Chan groused about the Alpha from Chrysanthemum State. “He says we can’t be together, but he won’t leave me alone! I don’t understand him!”

Soonyoung lightly ran a hand through the younger Omega’s hair. “I don’t think he can leave you alone while he still loves you, Channie.”

“He _claims_ to love me, but he won’t even speak to my fathers about starting a courtship with me.”

“Ah, Wonwoo may not show it, but he is honestly terrified of them both. Even I don’t know how Jeonghan-hyung or Mingyu will react once they find out you two are in love,” the prince from the Aster Province divulged. 

Chan’s frown deepened, but it somehow enhanced the cuteness of his face even more. “But Mingyu-hyung loves you, and he’s never been afraid of anything when it comes to you.”

The king had really set the bar high for the others Alphas in his domain.

Soonyoung felt his cheeks heat up. “Well…you have to remember that Wonwoo is not Mingyu. He is still a good Alpha, and I do believe that he does love you with all his heart…but he also has to keep you safe from Chrysanthemum State. Give it some time, Channie. I’m sure Wonwoo will find his own way to be with you forever.”

“What if…he goes back to their side? What if, someday, he will become our enemy once more?”

“I do hope that never happens. Firestorm Fortress is his home. He has friends and family here, and he’s become so close to Jihoon and Junhui. Besides you, they have a place in his heart as well. He could not possibly have the gall to hurt you or his friends...or any other person in this palace.”

“But…there is someone in Chrysanthemum State whom he still loves so dearly,” Chan murmured feebly. “I know he still loves his former Alpha king. He pleaded for Mingyu-hyung to spare his life on the battlefield. What would happen if a war between our kingdoms broke out? What would happen if they all meet there in the front lines? Which side will he choose then?”

“I don’t know, Channie…This is something you must ask Wonwoo himself.”

“There's a part of me that knows what his answer would be…”

“And what would Wonwoo say?”

The younger prince sat up and turned to Soonyoung with a dull and harrowed gaze. “He’s going to choose Hwang Minhyun…that’s how much he means to Wonwoo-hyung…”

Chan was not the only one with complications in his love life.

Their resident physician was another Omega with impediments he chose to avoid rather than confront. 

Jihoon had yet to patch things up with Seungcheol, and during Soonyoung’s check up on the fifth day, he’d become bold enough to shed light on this sensitive issue.

“It is obvious that you are both important to each other,” the Kwon prince stated. “Why not at least try being with him instead of shutting him out completely?

The doctor was not enthusiastic about this subject, but he was no longer as unwilling to share his sentiments as he used to be. “Seungcheol-hyung is just going to leave me like the rest of them did. What’s the point of trying if I already know how things will end?”

“How are you so sure that Seungcheol-hyung will leave you?” Soonyoung argued, because he knew that the two were hurting. They wouldn’t be if Jihoon would just stop being so stubborn, but his degree of obstinacy could not be torn down by even Minghao’s razor-sharp words.

“I am not the best at relationships. I am lacking in many ways, and my devotion has always been in my healing practice. I cannot be an Omega who simply stays at home, taking care of children and answering to an Alpha’s every beck and call. That’s just not me. I cannot give him that.”

Soonyoung furrowed his brows. “But did Seungcheol-hyung ever say he expects that of you?”

“No…he didn’t…” the doctor replied in irritation, packing away his medical instruments with more aggression than normal. “He didn’t have to. I already know that’s what he wants.”

“How could you say that’s what he wants when he had never even told you that himself?”

“I just know, okay? What Alpha does not want that? Omegas may be treated infinitely better here, but it does not mean that the Alphas here suddenly don’t want an Omega willing to submit to them…and…and _it’s fine_. Seungcheol-hyung deserves to have a mate who loves him and takes care of him and his children everyday.” 

The prince wondered if this was how frustrated everyone else was with him when he first got here. “But _you_ love him, and _you_ take care of his health everyday. Doesn’t he deserve to be with the one he loves as well? Would you really be fine with it if he decides to marry someone else?

“… _yes_ …” Jihoon responded with an audible strain in his throat. 

“That’s a lie,” Soongyoung retorted unhappily. “That’s a lie, and you know it. Everyone can see how badly you want to be with him. You’re the only one in the way of your own happiness, Jihoon-ah.”

The physician brought a hand to his forehead, shielding over his eyes and massaging his temples with his fingers. He was just as exasperated as Soonyoung was. He could have stormed out of the room long ago, but Jihoon hadn’t. 

He was way too hardheaded when it came to love. He would never let anyone tell him how to deal with his emotional woes. 

What was so different now?

Jihoon could not find the right answer to that. 

Maybe he was just too tired of fighting his own heart. Maybe Kwon Soonyoung had caught him at the right time - at his weakest state, because he had stayed and listened to what the prince had to say to him about Seungcheol.

He’d tried so hard to let go of his feelings for the Alpha, but they were just as stubborn as Jihoon was. He could not get rid of them, and they would not allow themselves to be forgotten. 

It was difficult to admit, but he wanted to be happy too, just as Junhui and Minghao were. Just as Hansol and Seungkwan were. Even Jeonghan was so happy being with Jisoo. Despite all the afflictions that caused them both immense grief, the two lovers were still holding on to each other so tightly, so vehemently that it was almost foolish. 

Why would they subject themselves to so much pain and openly receive such suffering, as if they did not know there would only be tragedy at the end to their story?

“ _Because it’s worth it_ ,” Jeonghan once said to him years ago. “ _Jisoo is worth it._ ”

Love was worth it.

Jihoon sighed in defeat. 

One last time. He was going to lay his heart out for one last time. “Wangja-nim…what do you think I should do?”

The prince’s face brightened at his words, and he beamed so joyfully that the physician almost wanted to smile back at him. “I’m nowhere near an expert at love, but I think it would be best to take your own advice and talk to Seungcheol-hyung. _Properly_.”

“What would I even say? I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”

The Kwon Omega grinned. “Tell him that you love him.”

“Wangja-nim, I can’t do that!” Jihoon practically yelped out, blanching from Soonyoung’s response. 

“But is it not true? Is that not how you feel?”

The physician flinched from the over-enthusiasm the prince was showing. “It is…I…I do love him…” 

“Then you need to let him know that,” Soonyoung encouraged him with shining eyes.

Goodness. 

How much gossip had everyone else in the palace been sharing with the prince?

This wouldn’t do. He couldn’t do it all by himself.

Jihoon needed more than just nerves of steel to talk to Seungcheol. In fact, he knew exactly what he needed to calm himself down and give him a bit more confidence.

“I would have to drink before talking to hi-”

“No!!! No more drinking!” Soonyoung cried, reaching out to grab his hands and look straight into his eyes. “Just tell him how you feel as you are now! I think he would appreciate it more knowing you are sober and not drunk out of your mind.”

“Don’t make me sound like an alcoholic, Wangja-nim,” Jihoon grumbled, slowly removing his limbs from Soonyoung’s grasp. Five seconds of physical contact was already more than enough for him. 

The prince chuckled boisterously in return, eyes crinkling into slants as he guffawed. Jihoon’s lips curled faintly at the glee in Soonyoung’s face and the beautiful sound of his laughter, and thankfully, his smile had gone unnoticed.

He was never really a touch-hungry person, but there was _one person_ he really missed holding hands with…and Jihoon could only hope it wasn't too late to feel his warmth again…

* * *

Throughout the entire week of his seclusion, Soonyoung had tried his best to stay optimistic. By the time he’d gone through all the herbs, it was only a matter of time before they went into effect. 

But as one day came quickly right after the other, the prince soon found himself becoming more and more pessimistic. 

His temperature remained the same. His scent was not changing. 

He did not feel a gnawing, growing need deep in his belly.

There was nothing out of the ordinary with him.

He was perfectly normal and nowhere close to an Omega with an impending heat.

He could hardly sleep on the last day of his quarantine. Jisoo had kept him company until Jeonghan had found him and forced him to go back to his own room. 

When Soonyoung woke up on the eight day…

He wasn’t in heat.

He almost started weeping right as he opened his eyes, but the knock on the door had him biting back a sob. 

The prince had expect to see the physician when he opened the door, but instead, it was Mingyu who had been waiting outside.

“Good morning, hyung…” the king greeted him with a small and careful smile. 

Soonyoung’s lips automatically parted in awe. He’d looked upon Mingyu’s face so many times already, but not even a smidgeon of the Alpha’s allure had worn off. 

It was like being under a love spell, and he was aware that he’d been ensnared…but he did not wish to escape its enchanting haze. Mingyu was so enthralling, and even just a week of absence had Soonyoung feeling dizzy from his devastatingly good looks -just like the maidens in romance novels.

“Oh, why must you be so handsome?” the Omega prince mindlessly stated, before his eyes widened, and he realized what he’d just spoken out loud. He swiftly reigned in his infatuated expression and allowed the king to step into the room. “Uhm…sorry, I meant to say good morning to you too, Mingyu…”

The Alpha king chortled and fondly peered down at him through half-lidded eyes, and the combination of his deep voice and his besotted gaze had taken Soonyoung aback. 

He had to bite the inside of his cheek to steady himself, to control every emotion that was about to burst out of him.

Soonyoung was done for. 

He was so in love with this Alpha that he was almost having a hard time breathing because of how beautiful Mingyu was.

It was truly delightful seeing him again, but Soonyoung’s heart burned at the thought of what he would soon be telling his beloved king. Once the door had shut behind him, the king lovingly placed a kiss on his forehead, and the Omega’s brave countenance came crashing down. 

He wrapped his arms around Mingyu’s torso and cried right into his broad chest. “I’m sorry…I’m so sorry, Mingyu…”

The tall Alpha enclosed him in a tight embrace. “Hyung…hyung, what’s wrong? Are you crying because you missed me so much?”

Soonyoung fervently nodded, and the king brought a hand to pat the top of his head. “I missed you too, hyung…why couldn’t I see you this entire week? It was even worse because I could feel how sad you were, but I wasn’t allowed to do anything to you feel better.”

“I-It’s…my fault…” the Omega mumbled in between his cries. “It’s all my fault…”

“Soonyoung-hyung, whatever it is…please don’t blame yourself…We can fix this together, okay? I’m here for you…”

_Together?_

But this wasn’t something they could fix together.

It was so infuriating. How could Soonyoung let those Alphas from Mount Magnolia do this to him?

How could he have allowed them to destroy his body like this?

Now he had to tell Mingyu that they couldn’t have any children together, and it wasn’t fair. 

Why was he even blaming himself when it wasn’t even his fault?

He never asked to be drugged. He never asked to be assaulted.

Those Alphas just assumed they could do whatever they wanted with him and left him damaged for life.

Why was this happening to him?

_Why?!_

He couldn’t understand why he was being so emotional all of the sudden. One moment, he was absolutely enamored with the king, then he was incredibly sad and guilty. Now…now he was just angry at the world, and it didn’t help that there was a strong, heady smell circling around him and distracting him from his enraged musings. 

The Alpha’s scent was so strong he could almost taste it in his mouth, and it wasn’t the same fragrance he would usually smell off Mingyu’s skin. 

In fact, the king smelled so much better right now.

He smelled so amazing, and Soonyoung was sure the other people in the palace would no doubt be entranced by the Alpha’s scent as well. 

The prince huffed and stared up into Mingyu’s eyes with a scowl. “Why do you smell so good?! Are you trying to entice some other Omega behind my back?”

“Hyung, I would never!” the Alpha bawled in surprise at the accusation hurled his way. “Why would you even think that? Have I not shown you enough of my love for you? I didn’t see you for years, hyung, and I still loved you with all my heart! Do you really think seven days would be enough to change how I feel about you?!”

Mingyu’s words snapped him out of his fury, and he was shocked that he’d even accused the Alpha of such a thing. 

It was awful and embarrassing. He felt like he’d regressed back into the mindset he was in a few months ago, when the Omega should have known by now that he could trust the king without question.

The Alpha could have said so much to hurt him in retaliation, but he didn’t. Minghao would probably have spewed more vicious words if he’d been there in the room with them. But not Mingyu. 

Without the king having to say anything more, the prince was already rueful and ashamed.

“No…n-no…I’m sorry…I’m sorry…” Soonyoung trudged over to his bed and curled into himself. He sat down shakily, lower lip quivering as he gave himself a few seconds to calm down. “I just really missed you…I don’t know why I’m acting like this…I’m sorry…there's just so much I...I’m so sorry…”

Mingyu knelt in front of the Omega and joined their hands together. “Hyung…you have to stop keeping everything inside. I’m here for you. I will listen to you and help you in any way I can.”

“I know,” the prince responded, closing his eyes and relishing in the Alpha’s pleasant, cooling touch. “I wasn’t trying to hide anything from you…it’s just…I just don’t know how to tell you this…”

“Tell me what, hyung?”

The king pressed a palm against Soonyoung’s cheek, and again, the Alpha’s skin was refreshingly crisp against his warmer flesh. Mingyu was always hotter than him, but even when he wasn’t a burning furnace, any contact between the two of them felt just as soothing.

He sighed from the weariness in his heart. He owed Mingyu an explanation, and there was no better time than now to tell him the truth. 

“It’s hard for me to say this…I really wish things could have happened differently…I should have stayed hidden when you told me to-”

Mingyu grasp around his hands tightened, not enough to hurt but hard enough for Soonyoung to feel an abrupt difference. “ _Hyung…_ ”

“-but I was just so stupid, and those Alphas from Mount Magnolia had to ruin everything-”

“ _Soonyoung-hyung._ ”

“-Now I’m just…I’m just broken. I can’t be fixed. We can’t fix it together, because I’m beyond fixing-”

“ _Hyung, you need to open your eyes right now!_ ” Mingyu cried out urgently.

With a startled gasp, Soonyoung did as the Alpha had commanded, and he was met with the king’s horrified expression.

“Your eyes are blue,” the king muttered in dread, and what echoed after his voice sounded like a starved creature hiding in the dark. “Soonyoung-hyung, you’re in _heat_ …”

* * *

Jihoon cursed under his breath as two Alphas scurried closely behind him. “Yah! Go away, you nosy Alphas! I’m about to start working for the day!”

Wonwoo and Junhui, however, could not be told off.

“We just want to know how Soonyoungie is doing,” Junhui said to defend themselves.

The physician automatically made a grossed out expression. “Soonyoungie? Why are you calling him Soonyoungie?”

“Well, isn’t he part of our drinking group now? That’s his new nickname.”

“When did we start using nicknames?”

“We’ve always had nicknames! You’re Jihoonie. I’m Junnie. He’s Wonnie, and Wangja-nim is Soonyoungie!”

“I don’t think Mingyu is going to like that,” the Omega doctor pointed out in exasperation. “ _Minghao_ isn’t going to like that either.”

As usual, Junhui waved off his concerns and hooked his heavy arms over both Wonwoo and Jihoon.“They’ll get used to it. Besides, Wonwoo said he likes the names I picked out.”

The other Alpha silently nodded in agreement.

“See? This is why _we’re_ best friends.” 

Hearing Junhui’s playful yet sincere statement, a warm glimmer lit up Wonwoo’s eyes.

“We are?” he peeped, stunned and hopeful at the same time.

“Of course we are,” the Alpha from the White Swan Empire reaffirmed with a wide, toothy grin.

Jihoon pushed Junhui’s arm off of his shoulders and glared at the two Alphas once they’d reached Soonyoung’s boudoir. “Well you two can go be best friends elsewhere. I need to actually do my job right now.”

He was about to knock on the door, but Wonwoo caught his fist before he could do so.

“Do you not hear that?” he whispered anxiously, fretfully switching his glance between Jihoon and Junhui.

“Hear what?” the Omega queried in alarm, eyes widening in panic.

The three remained silent, and the muffled sound of soft panting could be heard from inside Soonyoung’s room.

“ _He’s in heat_ ,” Jihoon thought to himself as he breathed out in relief. Even though he was quite uncomfortable hearing the Kwon prince writhing in ecstasy, the physician was incredibly glad that the herbs had worked. 

However, his ease was short-lived.

A guttural moan reverberated through the bedroom door, louder and more ferocious than the soft panting coming from the Omega, and it caused them all to stagger backwards in fear.

“Oh gosh, Mingyu’s in there with him,” Junhui added nervously, before dragging Wonwoo by the arm and briskly running in the opposite direction. “You’re on your own, Jihoonie!”

The physician quickly ran after them. “You traitors! Get back here! I’m not going through this mental trauma all by myself!”

He allowed himself to momentarily stop worrying about the prince, because as long as he was with Mingyu, Jihoon knew that everything was going to be just fine. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please go ahead and proceed to Chapter 22.


	22. Chapter 22

_Between the time when flowers bloom and scatter, scars heal and sprouts emerge. We live for this moment, the first and last. That's why I won't take you for granted, because you love somebody like me..._

_-Seventeen, Fallin' Flower (2020)_

This was a disaster.

It was the Gardenia incident all over again.

Mingyu had never smelled anything as sweet as Kwon Soonyoung’s intoxicating scent in his entire life, and he wanted nothing more than to claim the Omega as his own.

The way the prince had latched onto him and pulled him even closer was not helping him at all, and when Soonyoung had abruptly pressed their lips together… _oh_ … _oh heavens_ …Mingyu thought he was going to lose it right then and there.

The Alpha king had to kiss him back. He’d wanted to do this so long ago, but he’d kept a distance and waited until Soonyoung was ready to do all these things with him.

When they’d finally had their first kiss, Mingyu swore he’d been engulfed by the light of a bright and burning star. A connection between their fingers was already magnificent, but a sealing kiss between their lips was even more sublime. He was certain that the next step would be just as pleasurable of an experience to look forward to, but he had always envisioned this happening on their wedding night.

Soonyoung deserved at least a small ceremony before his deflowering. Even though there was nothing wrong with choosing to have sex before marriage, Mingyu knew that this was a sensitive issue for the prince - as it had been for Jisoo. Omegas born under royal families were brought up under strict rules. They were taught to remain pure unless they wished to suffer from the consequences and be labeled as whores. 

So the king was ready to wait for the prince no matter how long it took. After all, he loved Soonyoung and not just his body. Mingyu just wished the temptation would stop presenting itself so blatantly, especially in unanticipated situations like the one he was currently in. 

Thankfully, he had retained a lot more of his consciousness and self-control this time around. The prince’s unexpected heat had not triggered him into another rut, and he was so grateful to gods for sparing him from going through that pain all over again. 

The Alpha loved his Omega so dearly, and he would rather die than commit such an atrocious crime against the one he sought to protect. 

However, Soonyoung was making it very, very, _very_ difficult for him to resist.

“Mingyu…” the prince breathed out after breaking their kiss. His lips were red, and his pupils were dilated. He was panting, and he was just so appetizing and sweet. It looked like he’d been poisoned again, but his irises were glowing in blue. This was a _real_ heat, and he was doomed. 

He wasn’t going to survive this if he didn’t get out _now_.

“Mingyu…we can have children! We need to make a baby…we need to make one right now!”

The Alpha stood up immediately, astounded by what he just heard, and all the blood in his body rushed down to his nether regions. 

How was Mingyu supposed to be a good Alpha when his Omega was saying these things to him? 

He wanted to give Soonyoung what he desired. His instincts were urging him to completely destroy the prince’s body and show him no forbearance.

But…

It wouldn’t be right. 

Was this really what his Omega wanted?

Or was he being possessed by a voice that was not his own?

“I have to leave…” Mingyu whispered remorsefully, fighting his own arousal and turning away before he could do anything to hurt the prince.

“Mingyu…Mingyu!!! Please don’t go!!!” Soonyoung begged, chasing after the Alpha and desperately gripping onto his arm. “Please! Please don’t leave me like this!!!”

“Hyung, I can’t!” Mingyu cried out in frustration. “You’re not _you_ right now! You don’t know what you’re saying!”

To his surprise, the prince growled back at him - not at all wanton, but determined and infuriated. He knew Soonyoung wasn’t all there, but the words that had sprouted from lips was coming from some place deeper than concupiscence. “Of course I know what I’m saying! Didn’t I tell you how much I want you? Didn’t I propose to you?! Take responsibility for making me fall in love with you and making me want you in _this_ way!”

The king felt his breath hitch. It had not been a downright confession, but now he knew for sure that Soonyoung was in love with him. He had never looked for the validation, because deep down, he knew his feelings were reciprocated. The prince was always in a whirlwind of countless emotions, but love had been decipherable enough for Mingyu to know. 

Still, it had been nice to hear it come straight out of his Omega’s dirty mouth-

Mingyu bit his lower lip to stop that train of thought. 

He was trapped.

Both his body and mind were beginning its slow surrender to the call.

There had to be a compromise.

He held onto the prince’s shoulders and sternly looked into his eyes. “Hyung…Soonyoung…are you absolutely sure? I don’t want to touch you if this is not what you truly want…”

“I’m sure…” the Omega answered. His peering orbs were cloudy, but his tone was clear as day. “I don’t want just any Alpha. I want to be with you. My future can only be with you. You’re my Alpha…and I’m your Omega…so please… _please take care of your Omega_ …”

The king licked his lips, gaze dimming with the lust he’d been holding back for so long. “When your heat is over, we need to get married. Promise me we’ll get married.”

Soonyoung reached up to cradle Mingyu’s face.

“Okay, we will get married,” he vowed euphorically, eyes fixated on the Alpha’s lips and practically _starving_. “I promise, Mingyu.”

* * *

“ _Anytime you want to stop, you need to let me know right away._ ”

“ _If something hurts, don’t hesitate to punch me in the face._ ”

“ _If it doesn’t feel good for you, then I don’t care if it feels good for me. Tell me if I’m doing something wrong._ ”

It was an Alpha command one right after the other, tumbling out of Mingyu’s lips as he drawled on. 

The king was being exceedingly thorough with his adjuring, while Soonyoung was just simply nodding away in assent and shamelessly disrobing right in front of him.

“Hyung!” Mingyu exclaimed when the Omega began peeling off his undergarments. “Are you even listening to me?”

“Kim Mingyu, you’re literally _commanding_ me. I don’t have a choice but to listen!” Soonyoung retorted, finally dropping the last layer of his clothes on the floor and going after the ties on the king’s flimsy robes next.

He wasn’t being proper at all, and this was the most immodest he’s ever been in front of an Alpha in his entire life. His parents would probably erase his existence from the record books if they ever found out he was about to bed an Alpha whilst being unmarried, but the prince couldn’t care less about what they thought of him right now.

Soonyoung was out of his mind with salacity, wholly surrendering to the heat that had taken over all his senses. His body was ready to take on a every filthy act he could do with the Alpha in his room. 

In the Aster Province, his heats had always been horrible, but with Mingyu here, it did not seem like such a burden anymore. He felt safe. He felt freer to do whatever he needed to satisfy himself. There was no hesitance in him to share his body with the Alpha before him, because he knew that he would be treated right. 

Even though the Omega was indeed driven by a heightened sexual urge, he was not feeling the same way he had been in the forest. Soonyoung wasn’t scared. He had no need to restrain himself. 

The pain coiling in his navel did not feel like blazing fire destroying his insides. Instead, it was like liquid warmth preparing his body for nirvana, scorching across his skin and sensitive parts, and lighting his nerves up from every touch he received from the king.

Heat or no heat, Kim Mingyu was the person he wanted.

The Alpha did not stop Soonyoung from removing his undergarments, and when the prince’s eyes trailed downwards, a fascinated ‘ _ohhh_ ’ escaped from his lips.

It was really big, and it could only be expected that he was hard since Mingyu had been staring at the Omega’s naked form the entire time.

This was the first time Soonyoung had seen an Alpha’s erection, and…he found a _deep appreciation_ for the impressive size and shape. Even the color was quite pretty, as well as the veiny details and thickness. Everything else about Mingyu was beautiful, so of course his cock would be too.

As he pulled the Alpha king onto the bed with him, the prince’s heart began beating wildly in anticipation. 

His tutors back home had instructed him on what to do during his wedding night, and though he could not completely recall every technique they’d made him study, the Omega remembered enough to initiate the mating ritual. 

Soonyoung laid on his back, and Mingyu hovered over him and closed the distance between them with a kiss. 

While they were licking and nipping at each other’s lips, the prince teasingly trailed his fingers down the Alpha’s body. He carefully enclosed a hand around the stiff length and tugged languidly. 

Mingyu moaned into his mouth, and to his utter surprise, the king grabbed hold of his cock as well and stroked it in his firm grasp. No one else had ever touched him down there, and compared to his own two hands, this was so much better. His body was overly sensitive and already seizing from the relentlessness in the Alpha’s meticulous strokes.

The Omega started panting as the pleasure swiftly built up, making his asshole clench and his mouth gape wide open. But before he could enjoy the first of many orgasms to come, Mingyu shifted himself down until his face was right above Soonyoung’s crotch, and he engulfed the prince’s cock all the way to the back of his throat.

“ _Oh…oh gosh…oh gosh…_ ” 

He had no idea what the Alpha was doing, and he didn’t know if even Mingyu knew what exactly he was supposed to do. But Soonyoung didn’t want him to stop, because the feeling of whatever Mingyu was doing to his dick was indescribable. 

Mingyu was swirling his tongue this way and that, licking up the shaft and around the head, and then taking everything in again and bobbing his head while sucking and swallowing around him.

His actions had been obviously premeditated, but it was also sloppily executed and not as precise as the stroking he’d been doing previously. Still, Soonyoung could hardly complain. He probably couldn’t take all of the Alpha into his own mouth, and he probably wouldn’t have been able to make Mingyu feel _this_ _good_. 

Strangely enough, Soonyoung felt like a powerful man with his cock in an Alpha’s mouth.

That was most likely why Alpha men enjoyed getting sucked off. 

It was addicting, and it was almost like an ego-trip and an assertion of dominance over whoever’s mouth they were going to cum in.

Soonyoung never thought he would ever experience something like this in his life, and after Mingyu’s tongue decided to continuously assault the sensitive underside of the head of his cock, the Omega couldn’t hold himself back from spilling into his Alpha’s mouth. 

Mingyu had not pulled away, even as the prince tried to push him off. Instead, he kept swallowing around him and drinking in his essence to the very last drop. 

“Where…where did…you learn that?” the Omega asked while huffing and puffing, unable to fight back as Mingyu began bending his legs over. 

The Alpha wiped at his lips and answered in a rough voice, “Seungcheol-hyung gave me instructions.”

He wasn’t done using his tongue apparently, because even though Soonyoung was still recovering from his orgasm, Mingyu was already beginning another assault on his ass.

His lower body was folded over, with the Alpha’s arm wrapped around his middle to keep him steady. Soonyoung couldn’t break himself out of the king’s hold if he wanted to, and Mingyu took that as an opportunity to lap over the Omega’s puckered hole.

“Ah, Mi…Mingyu! What are you-”

If his cheeks weren’t already blazing before, Soonyoung’s face had to be redder than a tomato now as he watched the Alpha king lick away in between his ass cheeks. 

With his free hand, he dipped a finger inside Soonyoung’s entrance before sliding his tongue up and sucking on the prince’s balls one at a time.

The Omega shuddered violently at all these new sensations, and the rubbing of his walls and the overload on his different nerves triggered yet another orgasm. White splattered all over his chest and stomach as he moaned through his climax, and Mingyu had the audacity to gaze sinisterly at him while plunging another finger into Soonyoung’s hole before he could even finish. 

How was he going to make it out of this alive?

Soon, there were three fingers digging into him and making Soonyoung’s body jolt with sharp jabs of pleasure. 

The Alpha was _playing_ with him, and he was having fun teasing the prince so savagely. 

“Ah, Soonyoung, you’re so pretty down here…” the king said with a wolfish grin, eyes tenebrous and hazy with want. 

“I want to feel you in me,” the prince muttered. “Mingyu… _Alpha, I want you so bad_ …”

His hips were lowered on top of the bed once again, and this time, Mingyu was spreading his legs open sideways. The Alpha stroked himself and positioned the swollen head of his cock at the Omega’s abused and loosened entrance.

Soonyoung sucked in a harsh breath at the feeling of Mingyu’s girth stretching his walls.

“Oh…oh, oh gosh… It’s really big…”

If he hadn’t been in heat and if there wasn’t so much slick leaking out of him, Soonyoung knew he would’ve felt immense pain. His walls probably would’ve bleed too from being penetrated by something so enormous, but Mingyu really had prepared him very well. 

When the Alpha had finally managed to seat himself all the way in, he dove in for another kiss. The Omega automatically held onto him, locking his fingers behind the king’s nape and responding to the kiss with equal fervor. 

Mingyu pulled his hips back then thrusted forward gently. He patiently waited for Soonyoung’s tight walls to ease around him, allowing him to slowly pick up the pace, until his engorged rod could start thrusting in more brutally. 

He disrupted their kiss to release a vicious groan deep in his throat. All this felt new to the Alpha as well, and he was now just as crazed as his Omega was.

Soonyoung could finally see how much Mingyu had been holding himself back, because now, he was ramming into him at an unforgiving pace. The Alpha was hammering into him like a wild animal desperate for release, and his cock was dragging against the prince’s prostate back and forth, sending mind-numbing pleasure up Soonyoung’s spine again and again.

Mingyu’s lips had found the delicate crevice of the Omega’s neck, and he bit into the soft flesh and left marks for everyone to see. 

The prince’s greedy hole was just taking it all in, letting the Alpha violently pulverize his walls. Everything felt good. It was so good, and Soonyoung never wanted it to stop. His eyes were rolling to the back of his head as he was being destroyed from the inside. He stopped counting the amount of times he’d orgasmed and clenched around Mingyu over and over. 

Even after the Alpha had finally reached his own release, the sex was nowhere near finished. 

Mingyu later took him from behind, and he allowed the Omega to ride him as well - which Soonyoung enjoyed very much, especially since it helped him take the edge off of his own need to gyrate his hips and pound his own walls. 

At one point, they’d even done it on the dining table twice and on the floor once, in various positions Soonyoung had never known were possible.

The king had even placed him in front of a brass mirror, pummeling in and out of him and forcing Soonyoung to watch himself get mauled. The prince had to brace himself on the metal, unable to do anything but keep his body up as Mingyu had his way with him.

There was one hand was pinching at his nipple, and another was tugging at his cock. 

His legs were shaking. He was in a daze, and he could barely stand anymore, but nothing could stop him from having another orgasm.

All the while, Mingyu had lavished him with affection. The Alpha was constantly pressing kisses against either his lips or skin no matter the position they were in. Soonyoung’s mouth was red and bitten, and there were clusters of hickeys all over his neck, shoulders, and inside his thighs.

He heard the king tell him ‘ _I love you. Soonyoung, I love you’_ so many times, and it had made the sex so much sweeter.

The Omega was so happy that he was loved.

He was so happy to belong to someone so wonderful, and he was even happier that this person was someone he could keep for himself and never have to share with anyone.

“Mingyu… _Alpha_ …I love you, Alpha…” he murmured as his body trembled through one last orgasm.

Only when he’d finally passed out from exhaustion did they stop. 

* * *

“Before we get married, I must ask something of you.”

Mingyu looked down at the Omega lying against his chest, looking up at him with disheveled hair and sleepy blue eyes that were slowly going back to brown. He patted down the wayward strands and smiled. 

“Anything, hyung…”

“Can I see my parents?” the prince requested, tone hopeful and undemanding. “Would you let me tell them where I have been all this time? And let them know I’ve found a wonderful Alpha I want to spend the rest of my life with?”

The king’s smile slipped away. “You’re not trying to escape again, are you?”

“What? No. No, of course not, Mingyu. I just want them to know…and I want to say goodbye. Because after that, l may never get to see them again,” the Omega answered sadly. “So…will you please let me go back to the Aster Province one last time? Please, Mingyu?”

The Aster Province would always be his home, but now, Firestorm Fortress was his home too. His Alpha king was here, and therefore, Soonyoung wanted to stay here as well for the rest of his life.

“As long as you come back, hyung…” Mingyu responded, before pressing a soft kiss against the prince’s lips. “I’ll be waiting for you to come back.”

Soonyoung beamed at him in gratitude. “Thank you, Mingyu-yah…”

_Thank you for being so understanding._

_Thank you for being so kind._

_Thank you for being such an amazing Alpha._

Before they went back to sleep, he reached into the drawer of his nightstand and took out the bracelet he was supposed to give the Alpha days ago.

“Another engagement present, hyung?” the king queried in contrition as the Omega placed the jade around his wrist. “But I’m the one who’s supposed to be showering you with gifts.”

“You’ve already given me so much,” Soonyoung said balmily, staring lovingly into Mingyu’s orbs. “Now it’s my turn to give you everything.”

* * *

At the end of his heat, Jihoon paid him a visit as expected. The doctor entered his room with a neutral expression, but once the door closed, the undertone in his words was more evocative than indifferent. “Looks like someone had quite an enjoyable heat.”

The Omega prince blushed furiously at the reminder. This was definitely not the time to be thinking about all the dirty things he and Mingyu had done to each other. “Jihoonie, you’re starting to sound like Junnie!”

The physician made a gagging noise before rolling his eyes. “I did not sanction the use of those horrible nicknames!”

He dropped his bag right over Soonyoung’s bedside table and fished for something inside.

“Here, take this…” he instructed, holding out a small, brown pouch in the palm of his hand.

Soonyoung tilted his head at the unfamiliar object. “What’s it for?”

“Just a preventative measure. I gave you a lot of fertility herbs, because I didn’t think you’d actually be having sex with Mingyu when your heat came. So this should help negate the effects.”

_Negate the effects._

What if he didn’t want to negate the effects?

What if he wanted the flower bud of his and Mingyu’s union to flourish and bloom?

If there was one, why would Soonyoung want to get rid of it?

But as he pondered on the sensitive subject, the Omega realized that he hadn’t even thought about having children until the possibility of him being unable to conceive came about. 

He didn’t want this to be an emotional decision…but…he also didn’t want his little petal to disappear.

With a heavy heart, the prince hesitantly took the small pouch of bitter leaves and roots from the physician.

* * *

There wasn’t much to prepare for his departure. Soonyoung was going to be away for three weeks at most. Since he and Minghao were going to travel with horses, the journey to and from the Aster Province wasn’t going to be that long.

He was only planning on staying in his hometown overnight - just enough time to see his parents and his favorite calico aster fields.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t been the one to choose his travel companion. Mingyu had been adamant about accompanying him - which he’d been completely against, but the Alpha wasn’t about to let him go out there all by himself. Minghao had walked in on them while they were discussing this dilemma, and to their surprise, he stepped up and volunteered to go with Soonyoung instead.

“ _You’re needed here now more than ever_ ,” the willowy Omega had argued. “ _If our enemies find out you’re not in Firestorm Fortress, they will attack the city. There are way too many lives at stake. But I know you love him, so...I’ll take care of him for you._ ”

As they were mounting the horses outside the city gates, Junhui came scampering towards them with his own bundle strapped on his back. 

“Sorry for being late!” he sheepishly grinned whilst apologizing. “I had to let Jihoon and Wonwoo know I’d be gone for a while!”

Mingyu chuckled as Soonyoung looked to him cutely in confusion. Minghao, on the other hand, was not happy about this. 

The willowly Omega eyed the king dangerously, before glaring at his mate. “Jun, what do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m traveling with you two to see the Aster Province!” the lively Alpha burst out in excitement. “Seokmin said they have really good snacks over there.”

Minghao scowled. “Go back inside. We’re perfectly capable of protecting ourselves out there. We don’t need an Alpha to escort us.”

The Omega may have been putting up an arrogant front, but by now, most of them understood that he was hiding something more harrowing underneath his harsh words.

He’d always been protective of his Alpha, and Minghao didn’t want him to get hurt. 

However, Junhui was the same. He wasn’t about to let his Omega come face-to-face with danger out there, no matter how skilled he was at fighting.

“Ah, who am I protecting? I’m only going for the scenery. The King of Gwangsan Kim himself had graciously allowed me to take this vacation,” Junhui rationalized, before pulling Soonyoung closer to his side. “So you’re the one escorting _us_ , Hao Hao.”

Minghao grumbled under his breath, before angrily huffing and turning away. He wasn’t going to win this argument, but he would be getting his revenge on Mingyu upon their return. “Fine. Let’s go.” 

“Don’t miss me too much, okay?” Soonyoung said before giving his Alpha one last kiss. “And don’t go overboard on the wedding preparations.”

“Hyung, you know I have to give you the very best,” Mingyu contended.

“You’re already the very best though. It’s my turn to give back to you, remember?”

“I really don’t want anything but for you to return as soon as possible, hyung.”

“And I will, okay? I made a promise, and I intend to keep it.”

Mingyu helped him get on the horse, and when Minghao started nagging for him to hurry up, Soonyoung quickly followed behind him, waving goodbye and screaming ' _Kim Mingyu, Saranghae!!!_ ' at the top of his lungs.

His Alpha waved back at him, forcing a smile on his face despite the pain of watching his Omega disappear into the distance. 

"I love you too, Kwon Soonyoung..." he whispered sadly.

Little did they know…

The Prince of Andong Kwon was never coming back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to thank all the people who've been leaving comments! Some people have pointed out errors in my fic, and I am really grateful for it!!!! I know a lot of people re-read my fic, so if you guys find something wrong, please don't hesitate to let me know <3 
> 
> Again, with everything that's been going on, I only wish for everyone's safety and health. Please stay strong during this time. I know many are fighting for a cause, whether it's in Hong Kong, Philippines, USA, South Korea, China, etc. We are people. We are valuable. We need to be heard. But in the process, please stay safe if possible. 
> 
> I know people come here for the SoonGyu, so I will stop here and get to some Bulgae corner things:  
> 1.) This fic will be ending soon. Fic requests are open. So if there is a prompt you've been wanting to see, let me know and I will try my best to write it.   
> 2.) The ruler of Larkspur Shore is again someone we will never see in this fic again.  
> 3.) Trust in Seokmin. He has a plan. He knows what will happen. But there are things he cannot or should not interfere with. More on his flower garden side story soon.  
> 4.) The bad guys are coming. Nobody is safe. Get your tissues and popcorns and drinks ready.   
> 5.) How do you guys think this fic will end? What do you think will happen to SoonGyu? Send me your theories. I love them so much LOL


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 24 will be immediately available right after.

_Between the time when flowers bloom and scatter, scars heal and sprouts emerge. We live for this moment, the first and last. That's why I won't take you for granted, because you love somebody like me..._

_-Seventeen, Fallin' Flower (2020)_

_He was otherworldly. He was sublime, and he was infinite. The limits of time had never been a nodus for him to worry over._

_Though he was not as omnipotent as the Almighty One, the God of Fate was still a celestial being unlike any other._

_His name was Dokyeom, and thousands of years ago, he had been granted powers equal to that of the Four Brothers of Heaven._

_It was a privilege to wield such grandeur, but at times, it was seemed more like a burden than a largesse._

_Sometimes…it even felt like a curse._

_But it was a curse he would willingly receive over and over again, because with this encumbrance…with this anathema…with this gift…he came to know love and all the beauty it possessed._

_When he’d first appeared into existence, the Almighty One had bestowed upon him a special place in heaven. In this bare space, Dokyeom was allowed to create whatever he wanted, and he chose to make flowers teeming with life and vibrant colors._

_These flowers became known as humans in the earthly kingdom. Each blossom represented a single soul, and each species symbolized the bloodline they originated from._

_The God of Fate loved his children with all his heart. He found absolute delight in nurturing them and watching them grow and multiply with every passing year._

_For a very long while, he knew nothing of loneliness or sadness. There was no reason for him to feel such awful emotions, because he had his flowers to keep him company, and it gave him immeasurable joy to see them prosperous and happy in their domicile._

_Dokyeom thought all of his creations would stay with him forever…_

_But he had been naive and ignorant, and he had not known about the darkness that sought to destroy everything that shined bright._

_The other gods could not have children of their own. They were jealous of Dokyeom’s garden, and so they stole many of his flowers while he was away. In a matter of days, every blossom they’d ripped out of the soil slowly withered and died, and the humans down below also perished._

_Dokyeom lost more than half of his children because of their hideous envy, and for many years, he mourned over each and every one of them._

_Only one goddess had been rueful of her selfish actions, and she’d made amends with him by blessing the blue roses she’d plucked with cunningness and virtue. The Goddess of Luck even sent heavenly gifts to the blue rose clan who’d lost their loved ones because of her and visited them on earth once every few centuries._

_The rest of the gods, however, had no qualms over what they’d done, and the God of Fate warred with those who’d wronged him and purloined what they valued most to extract his revenge._

_As the years went by, he tried growing more flowers, tending to them as best as he could while dithering the malicious gods who were still covetous of his children. But Dokyeom could not always ward them off, and some of them had succeeded in poisoning the soil and killing entire species one after another._

_His relationship with the other gods soured to the point of irreparability, and he could not allow himself to trust any one of them ever again._

_Until one day…_

_He met a celestial being purer than the heavens and more glorious than the sun…_

_The God of Fate hurriedly ran to his precious flower garden. He’d been angered upon hearing that another god had snuck into it yet again. No matter how many magical barriers and walls he’d put up, the others always somehow managed to find a way to get inside._

_Once he’d reached the unsealed gates, Dokyeom stormed into the garden and found the intruder crouching over a plot of dying calico asters._

_“Get away from my children!!!” he roared in fury, ready to unleash his powers on the person who threatened to hurt his creations._

_A glowing face turned to him, lovely and bright. He was an immortal with prepossessing features and a beauteousness that surpassed every divine creature in existence._

_It was the new god born only a decade ago…_

_The God of Flowers._

_Dokyeom had first seen a glimpse of him roaming the earth just a few months ago, but the new god swiftly and fearfully ascended back up into their celestial realm after their eyes met._

_He was another special type of god - the caretaker of the non-sentient flora on earth. He had no vast powers, and he did not seem like one who would fight against the other gods and cause mayhem._

_There was no mischief in his eyes nor any delinquency in his poise. Instead, the God of Flowers appeared worried as he looked back and forth between Dokyeom and his calico asters._

_“Are these your children?” the celestial being asked him anxiously. “I could hear them crying…just like how I could hear my flowers cry down in the middle kingdom, but these…these children are different from mine.”_

_Dokyeom furrowed his brows. He would have thought that by now, all the gods in heaven would know about what the flowers in his garden symbolized. “That’s because beneath the heavens, my children take on the form of humans.”_

_“These are the humans? How fascinating…” the God of Flowers exclaimed. His golden eyes had glistened briefly in astonishment, before dimming once again like eventide after the twilight. “But…if these flowers are the very souls of those dwelling on earth…oh, God of Fate, I am sad to say that so many of your children are not in good condition.”_

_“You can thank the Dark Entity of Death for that,” he answered querulously, glowering from the injustice done to his children and their home. “He poisoned the soil after I bested him in a battle right before the Almighty One. I’ve been trying to save my calico asters, but the poison would not disperse. I do not wish to give up on them, but I’m afraid their bloodline shall end with those left standing.”_

_On earth, the calico asters were comprised of the Andong Kwon Royal Family and their branch clans. Because of their poisoned state in heaven, none of the members could bear any living children. The Alpha king would be the last of their kind, and their long line of succession was going to end with him._

_“Then, would you let me try a hand at healing them?” the God of Flowers suggested, gazing filled with a degree benevolence Dokyeom had not seen before. “I do know a great deal about caring for my own children. Maybe I can take care of yours as well…”_

_His words were warm and lacked ill-intention. Unlike the other gods, this divine being was truly immaculate. The God of Fate could see it in his eyes and his smile, but there was still reluctance in him._

_Could he really allow himself to trust once more?_

_Perhaps that was the day he’d fallen in love with this certain god, because Dokyeom could not find in himself to turn him down. “By all means, God of Flowers. Do whatever you can to heal my calico asters.”_

_“Please…call me Eunwoo…”_

* * *

“Are you calling for me?”

Jisoo blinked up at the gloomy sky above him, absentmindedly strumming through his gayageum with adept fingers. Though the howling of the gale could be heard all around him, they turned into zephyrs upon brushing icily against his cheeks. 

The chills brought him no discomfort. The air had always been his friend ever since he was little. Without the need for words, it understood all his thoughts and emotions, and as he grew older, he found a way to understand the air in return. 

But…why was it so cold on a spring day?

“Are you calling for me?” the Second Prince asked again.

No voices responded to his question, and it saddened him, because Jisoo knew _they_ could hear him - his dearly departed ones…his ancestors…and the founder they all had worshipped. 

They’d been watching him all this time. They knew his pain, and they knew his affliction.

But none of them would let Jisoo know when they would take him away.

He wanted to at least know when he would take his last breath. That way, he could at least spend those last few moments in the arms of the person he loved the most.

Jisoo couldn’t bear to move on without saying goodbye to Jeonghan. It wouldn’t be fair to the Alpha at all to just leave after everything he’d done for the Omega.

As he kept gazing up at the heavens, his ears caught an intimation from the wind. Even though it had no voice, the message it carried was loud and clear.

Rain was not going to befall upon their land today. 

Something more sinister was coming for them.

It was darker than the nightmares that plagued his slumber.

It was devoid of humanity and hungry for bloodshed. 

Worst of all, it was almost here…

Jisoo knew what they wanted to take, and if he did not let them succeed, his wonderful family here in Firestorm Fortress would suffer grave consequences. Unless…

Unless the gods were planning to take him to heaven at this very moment…before the evil could get their hands on him and wreak havoc on the mortal world.

With a sad smile, Jisoo tugged at the sleeve of his robes and peered at the tight bandages Jeonghan wrapped around him everyday. Even though he had not seen an inch of skin beneath the silk for more than five years, the Second Prince was well-aware of the multiple scars littered all over his body.

Jisoo could remember each stab that had been inflicted upon him by Kwak Youngmin and his men. He could remember all the times he’d cried and begged the Third Brother for deliverance from their torture. 

He was supposed to have died long ago…but their founder had told him to _wait_.

“You promised there would be a place for me when the time came…” Jisoo whispered into the gentle breeze. 

“Is that time now? Or…do you wish for me suffer a little bit longer?”

The heavens answered with the sound of thunder and a flash of lightning crackling across the forebodingly grey sky.

* * *

“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!!!”

Hansol jumped out of his seat at the loud roar of thunder. His sudden surge forward had caused him to trip on a basket of flowers on the floor, and he would have crushed all the preserved ornaments they’d made if Jeonghan had not caught him in time.

“Yah, Chwe Hansol! We just picked those!” his lover admonished him with his sonorous voice, but even Seungkwan’s screeches could not beat the harrowing sound of thunder that had shook more than just the fortress.

They were in the art room, sitting amongst dozens of baskets occupying every surface available.

Hansol, Seungkwan, Jeonghan, and Mingyu had been working on floral gewgaws and folderols to use as decoration for the king’s upcoming nuptials. 

Three days had passed since Junhui, Minghao, and Soonyoung began their journey to the Aster Province, and since then, the rest of the palace dwellers had been focusing on preparing for the wedding ceremony. 

All morning, Hansol had felt incredibly uneasy, especially while gazing up at the darkened sky. He had not said anything to his comrades, since none of them seemed to be bothered by the unnatural grey hovering over them. 

But after the thunder he’d just heard, the Alpha knew that something just wasn’t right.

“I’m really sorry!” Hansol stated as he frantically scurried to the window, heart practically thumping inside his chest. “But I just had the fright of my life! Did none of you hear _that_?!”

Jeonghan grinned playfully, completely amused by the younger Alpha’s unexpected reaction. “Hansol-ah! I never knew you were afraid of lightning!”

“Hyung, _listen to me_ ,” Hansol lamented in exasperation. “I’m being serious. _That was not normal._ It sounded like-”

Another powerful boom of thunder rattled through the walls, and the flash of lightning that accompanied it blinded them in sharp brightness for a single second.

This bolt had been even more terrifying than the first.

“T-That sounded a lot closer,” Seungkwan stuttered, getting up and reaching out to hold his husband’s hand. He had never seen Hansol behave this way, and it was unsettling. 

“Well…lightning never strikes the same place twice…” Jeonghan replied solmenly, squinting in the direction of the window. His teasing grin had disappeared right after the second thunderbolt had pummeled their eardrums. “Mingyu…”

The Alpha king was already off the floor and leering out the window. “Hansol-ah, what were you going to say?”

Hansol’s grip tightened around Seungkwan’s hand, and the Omega reached over to pull him into a hug. “I don’t- I’m not sure how to explain it…but it…it sounded like the clouds…and the ground were being ripped open by something…unnatural…”

Mingyu turned to the eldest Alpha in the room, seeking guidance to quell his bewilderment. 

“Jeonghan-hyung, Hansol is right. There’s something strange about all this,” the king commented bleakly. “What do you think is going on? Even the wind sounds…eery…”

“The wind…?” Jeonghan muttered, becoming even more troubled by the words Mingyu had just spoken. 

A howling gust came blasting in through the window and pushed the doors behind them open from the force of its gale.

_The wind…_

Slowly, his eyes widened in terror. “Jisoo-”

The third bolt of lightning struck even closer to the fortress, and they didn’t even have enough to time to react before the fourth one came. 

The thunderous rumble pierced straight into their ears, and the discharge of lightning breaking into the very foundation of the palace had sent electric sparks up their feet.

For a moment, their bodies had numbed and singed from the residual heat slithering through the floor.

But that did nothing to stop Jeonghan from berserkly leaping out of the room and running to his Omega. 

* * *

The blast of lightning disintegrated all the roses and stargazers in his private garden, and in the very center of the impact, a man wearing red and yellow robes stood over the ashes of the flowers Jisoo had cherished.

It was a person he’d encountered long ago when they were children. They were both much older now, and the two of them had gone through many drastically different changes.

“Hello, Second Prince…” the interloper greeted him ominously. The long, black whip in his hand dragged through the ground as he leisurely approached. 

“Choi Minki…” Jisoo spoke calmly in return. Though he knew the Alpha from Begonia Highland before him was now an enemy, the prince felt no fear in his heart. 

It was time for him to face his inevitable fate. 

He may have escaped it years ago, but Jisoo could not avoid death forever.

All he had to do was suffer one last time, and then…

And then…he could finally be free…

_Jeonghan…Mingyu…please forgive me…_

“Why have you come here, Minki?”

His fingers had stopped strumming the gayageum on his table, and when he’d moved to start playing again, Minki intercepted with the weapon he was holding.

In just one strike, the whip fractured the musical instrument, and the wood of the gayageum and the table splintered right before the stunned Omega’s eyes.

“I think we both know the answer to that,” the King of Begonia Highland reflected, a sinister grin grotesquely stitched over his lips. 

The Second Prince woefully stared back at the disturbed Alpha. The Oeseong Kwak Clan had made it known to him what was inside his body. He’d lost his entire family because of it, but he refused to lose the family he had here too. 

Jisoo stood up and walked forward to gallantly peer directly into his foe’s eyes.

“I will go with you, but you must swear to me that you and your allies will not harm anyone in this city.”

“Unfortunately, that is not a viable negotiation, Jisoo,” Minki stated. “King Jonghyun wants every living thing in this place dead.”

“Minki, are you not the ruler of your own kingdom? You don’t have to do this,” Jisoo earnestly beseeched. “I know you are a good person. Hwasun Choi has always been a friend to Namyang Hong. Please, Minki…follow your heart, and steer away from this evil path before it’s too late.”

The Alpha glared at him. “Our families were never friends! Don’t you get it, Hong Jisoo?! Oeseong Kwak wasn’t the only kingdom conspiring against you and your pitiful clan! We’d _all_ been waiting to see the Baeghab Nation’s downfall for years!”

“Well, congratulations! Namyang Hong is gone! My whole family is dead!” the Omega keened resentfully, his body shuddering from the pent up emotions he’d held back all these years. “You’ve accomplished your goal… I’m the last of Baeghab. Kill me, and end it with me. Don’t hurt the innocent people in this kingdom. They’ve done nothing to deserve your wrath!”

Minki cackled maniacally, before bringing his lips close to the Second Prince’s ear and whispering, “Hong Jisoo…it doesn’t matter whether they deserve it or not. But did you honestly think just one power would be enough for us? We want _all of it_. Earth, Water… _Wind_ … _and Fire_ …”

* * *

“Jisoo!!!!” 

Jeonghan burst through the doors of the Second Prince’s secret boudoir. His lips were twisted into a frightening snarl, and his eyes were blazing with pure rage. He spotted the King of Begonia Highland with a knife to Jisoo’s neck.

“Take one more step, and I’ll slit his throat!” the crazed Alpha pronounced. 

“Get your hands off him!” Jeonghan demanded, voice roaring vociferously. “Let go of Jisoo, before I tear you limb from limb!!!”

“Hyung!” Mingyu shouted, rushing into the boudoir right after the older Alpha. He paled at the sight of the Second Prince ensnared by Choi Minki. He growled and bared his fangs in warning. “Unhand him this instant!!!” 

Minki howled with obnoxious laughter. “Ah, Yoon Jeonghan…if you want to get back your precious Jisoo again, you know where to find me…”

He then turned to the Alpha King of Gwangsan Kim, eyes glimmering with wickedness and contempt. “As for you…I would be more worried about your own little prince. Hwang Minhyun isn’t particularly merciful to Omegas…”

“Jeonghan, stay with Mingyu!” Jisoo implored in overwrought. “This is what they want! They want to separate everyo-“

Before Jisoo could finish, Minki slid the knife over his neck to silence him. The Second Prince immediately brought his hands up to cover the wound, but the blood could not be stopped. It flowed through his fingers and stained his immaculate white robes. 

“ _J-Jeonghan…_ ” he stammered, eyes wide with fresh tears streaming down his cheeks. “ _Jeong…han, d-don’t come for me…_ ”

“Jisoo!!!” his lover bawled, hand automatically reaching out as his feet plunged him forward.

Mingyu sprang towards them at the same time Jeonghan had, yelling out the Second Prince’s name in anguish.

But before they could get to the Omega, Minki struck the whip against the ground, and he disappeared into the bolt of lightning that descended from the heavens. Jisoo vanished with him, and only the wringing in their ears from the thunder served as a reminder of their failure. 

“J-Ji…Jisoo…h-hyung…” Mingyu’s voice trembled. His body weakened from the painful emotions crushing his lungs and squeezing the life out of his heart. 

They’d failed the Second Prince.

They’d allowed him to fall under enemy hands yet again. 

Beside the Alpha king, Jeonghan fell to his knees and released a deafening cry straight into the sickening grey and gloom up above.

* * *

“We need to stop and find shelter,” Minghao announced, halting his horse as he looked up at the dim sky. 

It was dark and cloudy. The gale of a storm was brutally beating against their forms, and the flashes of lightning in the sky were even more startling than the thunderous noises they emitted. 

Something was off about the weather.

It did not smell like it was going to rain, and the wind was strangely icy for the spring time.

“Hao Hao, let me find a place for us to rest,” Junhui said as his stead galloped next to Minghao’s. “You look quite tired.”

The willowy Omega sighed. “I’m just annoyed. I didn’t expect for us to have to take so many detours. This journey is going to take us longer than it’s supposed to, and I don’t like it.”

“We will arrive at the Aster Province in no time,” his lover responded with a comforting smile. “For now, just relax with the prince. We can continue our travels tomorrow.”

Minghao offered him a small quirk in his lips, before nodding and turning his horse around to trot beside Soonyoung.

The prince was surprised to see the Omega waiting up for him instead of Junhui. “Minghao, is everything alright?”

“We’re stopping for today.”

Soonyoung peered curiously up at the dismal ethers. “Because of the weather?”

Minghao frowned, carefully observing the strange clouds once again. “Yes…even though I feel like it’s not going to rain, I don’t want to get caught in a downpour without a place to protect us. Mingyu would skewer me alive if you got sick under my care.”

“Oh, Minghao, I’m sure a little rain wouldn’t hurt me…” Soonyoung answered, grinning uneasily. “And uhm…and I’m sure Mingyu wouldn’t do that to his own friend!”

“No, he would. I would do the same to anyone who hurts Junhui,” Minghao casually remarked.

The prince’s eyes softened. Even though it was quite morbid, Soonyoung knew the statement harbored a lifetime of affection. “It amazes me how much you two love each other. Your devotion to Junhui almost surpasses Jeonghan-hyung’s faithfulness to Jisoo-hyung.” 

“I guess I do have a soft spot for that ugly Alpha,” Minghao said after rolling his eyes. “He’s somewhat decent enough to have children with, I suppose.”

“Minghao, you don’t have to keep putting up a front with me. We can share our deepest feelings with each other anytime you want!”

“I’d rather not.”

“You’d rather _not_ talk _to me_ about your feelings?” Soonyoung pouted in a way that would have looked cute to Mingyu. For Minghao, however, his expression was just downright nauseating.

“Just talking about feelings in general.”

The willowy Omega grabbed onto the prince’s reigns and guided both their horses closer to where Junhui was searching for a safe resting area.

“But if you don’t tell people how you feel…one day, you will just burst into tears, and you won’t be able to stop!”

“I will never cry.”

“Everybody cries, Minghao.”

“I never have.”

Soonyoung raised a brow in dubiety. “Not even when you were a baby?”

“Nope,” his Omega contemporary insisted sarcastically. “I was born with the gift of eloquence straight out of the womb.”

Minghao’s face and tone of voice had been dull and lacked any sort of hilarity, but Soonyoung couldn’t hold back his laughter at what he’d just said.

The prince was practically hunched over his horse’s mane, clutching his stomach from the excessive amount of guffaws leaving his body. “Junhui was right!!! You are absolutely hilarious, Minghao!!!”

On the other hand, the lieutenant general had no idea why the Kwon Omega found his words so funny. In all honesty, he never understood why so many people thought of him as a humorist.

“Control yourself, Wangja-nim,” he enjoined disapprovingly. “If you fall off your horse, we’re leaving you here.” 

Soonyoung reclaimed his self-control, his laughs dying down into tiny titters. “Ah, Minghao, I can’t wait ’til we get back to Firestorm Fortress! I know I’ll be marrying Mingyu, but I also look forward to spending my entire life there with you and everyone else in our family!”

The willowy Omega’s heart skipped a beat, and his entire chest filled with a warmth that had him turning away so he could let himself smile in silenced gaiety. 

“ _I look forward to it too…_ ”

Thankfully, the murmur he had not meant to release was left unheard. 

“What was that?” Soonyoung queried, inching closer and looking at him expectantly with an excited expression.

Minghao sneak a glance at him with narrowed eyes. “I said, ‘you and Mingyu are going to make hideous babies together’.”

“Hey, now you’re just being mean again! Go back to telling more jokes, Minghao!”

* * *

He raced down the staircase to the empty precinct. The palace dwellers were chasing after him, crying out for him to stop…to tell them what happened to the Second Prince…to slow down and let them catch up, but he couldn’t do any of that right now. 

Jisoo was all alone, in enemy hands. 

Jeonghan promised Jisoo so many times that he would protect him. He’d chanted those vows over and over to comfort him for so many years. But he’d just broken all those promises and allowed someone to take his Omega away from him again.

How could he say he loved Jisoo?

How could he call himself the Second Prince’s Alpha?

All he’d ever done was let his lover fall to ruin.

Jisoo deserved so much better than him.

Jisoo deserved so much more than a useless Alpha like him.

“Jeonghan-hyung!!!” Mingyu called out to him, finally grabbing hold of his shoulder. “Hyung! Please wait!!!”

Jeonghan roughly smacked his hand and growled. “Jisoo’s in danger, and you want me to _wait_?! For what???! For him to be killed?! We have to go to Begonia Highland! _Now_!”

“Hyung! I want to save Jisoo-hyung too! But I-”

“Then the two of us can go together, but we have to leave right now, Mingyu!”

The Alpha king gritted his teeth and lowered his head in shame. “Hyung…I’m sorry…but I need to get to Soonyoung…he’s important to me too…”

In his desperation to retrieve Jisoo, he’d forgotten that their other friends were also in danger. The Andong Kwon prince was with Junhui and Minghao, and their enemies were after them too.

Jisoo, Jeonghan, and Mingyu had been together for so long. It was a miracle that they’d been reunited after everything they’d been through. He wasn’t sure whether that the gods would be as generous the second time around, but Jeonghan was thankful to have had both Jisoo and Mingyu in his life. 

The Alpha king had Soonyoung now. Someone else needed him now too.

“It’s okay. I understand,” Jeonghan said without even a tinge of pique, smiling painfully at his most revered friend. “I will go alone.”

If he were to fail in this mission and Jisoo were to die, Jeonghan had no reason to keep on living. 

He didn’t need to take Mingyu down with him.

“Jeonghan-hyung…I’ll go with you,” Seokmin, their newest palace dweller, stated once he’d finally caught up to the two Alphas. “I’ve been to Begonia Highland before so I can help!”

He didn’t want to get the beta tangled up in this mess, but the way Seokmin’s eyes were practically beaming with hope and determination had the Alpha quickly changing his mind.

“Seokmin, this isn’t going to be the same as training,” Jeonghan explained to him gravely. “We are either going to die or bring Jisoo back. There is nothing in between.”

“We’re bringing the Second Prince back, hyung. That’s the _only_ choice we have,” the beta stated boldly. “We can do it. Together, I know we can.” 

Jeonghan turned to Mingyu melancholically, and without anymore words, the two friends bid each other a silent adieu. 

If fate would be kind to them once more…

_They would all be together again someday._

“Let’s go!” Jeonghan bayed, as he dragged Seokmin out the gates and to the horse stables. 

“Mingyu-hyung!” Seungkwan squawked, face red from all the running he’d been doing. The rest of the palace dwellers finally caught up to their leader, but they had not been quick enough. “Are you going after Jeonghan-hyung?”

The Alpha king shook his head, and with great hesitance and shame, he enlightened them with his selfish plan. “No, I need to get to Soonyoung…I must leave now as well…” 

“Junhui and Minghao are with him,” Jihoon added warily. “Let me go with you.”

At the mention of Junhui, Wonwoo became distraught and had to interpose. “No! Let _me_ go with you, Your Highness! The city needs Jihoon more than it needs me.”

“No. The both of you have to stay here…” Mingyu responded, thoroughly abhorrent of himself and how he was about to abandon his kingdom again. “I have to go. I hope you all find it in your hearts to forgive me. I’m sorry for being an awful king. But I need to save him. Soonyoung means the world to me. If something happens to him…if I lose him…”

The king clenched his fists, unable to stop the trembling of his body. 

He couldn’t even think about losing Soonyoung without feeling like his heart would give out.

“Mingyu-hyung…appa…it’s alright,” Chan spoke softly, taking hold of his father’s hand and squeezing it tight. “Take Wonwoo-hyung with you, and leave everything to us. We can handle whatever comes our way.”

“Firestorm Fortress is strong enough to defend itself against all enemies,” Seungcheol stated valiantly. “Even in the absence of its king.”

“We’ve all been training for years. The kingdom you and Jeonghan-hyung built is called a fortress for a reason,” Hansol reaffirmed. “We can take care of everything until you come back.”

“Go find your Omega, hyung, and bring all our friends home safely,” Seungkwan said. His expression was sorrowful, but he forced himself to smile assuringly to give their king comfort and strength.

Mingyu looked at each and everyone of them he was leaving behind - Seungcheol, Jihoon, Seungkwan, Hansol, and Chan. He knew they were all powerful. Even without gifts like his, they were formidable and brilliant masters of the skills they’ve been honing. With the fire hounds and their army here with them, Firestorm Fortress would be in good hands. 

There was no point in doubting.

He was just glad to have started a family with these wonderful people .

“Everyone…thank you…”

* * *

“Uhm, Minghao, I am in no way trying to insult you…but are you sure we’re going the right way?” Soonyoung asked cautiously. He knew better than to question Minghao’s sense of direction, but they’d already passed by the exact same tree twelve times now, and the prince knew he had to say something.

“Of course, I am!” the willowy Omega growled irritably. “Mingyu and I went over this map for hours!”

“I have complete faith in you, my love,” Junhui interjected, walking behind them and blowing kisses at Minghao despite being ignored.

Though Minghao would never verbally admit it, they were indeed lost. They were off the main road and circling around the forest on foot now because the horses could not get through the thick foliage and unstable terrain.

“We’re already half-way to the Aster Province.”

“But, Minghao…you also said that four days ago,” Soonyoung uttered in the nicest way possible. The last thing he wanted was to incite Minghao’s wrath.

His Omega companion grumbled under his breath as he folded up the map in his hands. “Fine…we’re probably a bit farther than that right now, but we’re close. We just need to find a clear path forward, and we’ll arrive at the Aster Province soon enough.”

“Hao Hao,” Junhui whispered, grabbing onto Minghao’s arm and preventing him from taking another step. “Hold on.”

The wind swept lightly over their feet and brushed against the fallen frond before them.

Underneath the leaves littered all over the forest floor, there were small glimmers of metal poking out from the sun shining on them. 

If Junhui hadn’t stopped Minghao in time, his legs would have been crushed by the snares hiding in their path.

The couple quickly came to a soundless agreement of what they had to do next.

“Are you guys alright?” Soonyoung asked worriedly, staring at the two from behind.

“We’re taking another detour,” the willowy Omega proclaimed loudly, before placing a single digit over his lips and gesturing for the prince not to say anything. “In fact, we’re splitting up. Go find food, Junhui. You’re coming with me, Wangja-nim.”

But to the prince’s confusion, Junhui was the one who’d pulled him away, acting opposite of what Minghao had just said. Soonyoung watched as the two lovers briefly grasped each other’s hands, before diverging into opposite sides of the forest. 

Because Minghao had instructed him to stay quiet, the Kwon prince said nothing even as they kept walking briskly farther and farther away from the path they’d been taking. Soonyoung didn’t know what was going on, but he trusted the two enough to know that there was a reason why they were acting so strangely.

Minutes passed, and the forest was growing increasingly darker from the thick overgrowth of tree branches barring the sunlight from entering.

They only stopped when they came upon a hollow tree trunk, and that’s when Junhui finally spoke to him. “Wangja-nim, you need to hide in here until Minghao and I come for you.”

“Junhui…what’s going on?”

With a sullen expression painted on his face, the Alpha muttered, “The enemy is here…and Minghao is going to fight him…”


	24. Chapter 24

_Between the time when flowers bloom and scatter, scars heal and sprouts emerge. We live for this moment, the first and last. That's why I won't take you for granted, because you love somebody like me..._

_-Seventeen, Fallin' Flower (2020)_

“Show yourself, coward!” Minghao cried out, voice echoing through the towering lines of trees surrounding him. 

There were no traps here, and there was enough space to go into an all-out brawl if needed. He hoped to end this fight as quickly as possible, because their journey had been compromised, and Firestorm Fortress was the only safe place left.

“I’m surprised you knew where I would be hiding,” another voice reverberated, deeper and silken like the ones Alphas enjoyed using.

A tall man emerged from behind one of the trees. He was dressed in green and bronze robes, blending in with the verdant nature all around them. Minghao had only ever seen these same robes on one other person, and it immediately became clear to him exactly who this Alpha was.

“I see the Prince of Andong Kwon isn’t with you. Did you really let him wander off alone with that Alpha you were traveling with?”

Their target was Soonyoung, just as Minghao had surmised, and his trick had worked. Their enemy thought the Omega prince was with him.

Now, the man was trying to rile up his emotions and make him feel insecure, scared, or maybe even jealous.

However, aggravating people was Minghao’s specialty, and he’d never met another person who could transcend the sharpness of his tongue. 

“And did you really think I was going to put him in harm’s way? How stupid are you?”

“Shut up, _Omega!_ ”

“No, you shut up, _Alpha!_ Only cowards like you would set up traps to incapacitate the enemy before striking! Are you really an Alpha? Because you don’t seem to have the balls to actually be one!” 

He expected the enemy to unsheathe his sword and come barreling towards him, but instead, the earth rumbled out of nowhere, and the dirt loosened beneath his feet.

Minghao leaped backwards before he could fall into the hole in the ground, and he glared up at the Alpha. “What the hell is this? More tricks? Are you that incompetent with your sword?”

Tremors shook under him again, but before he could jump out of the way, the dirt shot up like hands and yanked both of his feet into the earth. His ankles were trapped, and the hardened soil rendered him unable to pull his legs out. He now knew what this person was capable of.

He understood what Hwang Minhyun had attained.

“Wonwoo told us stories about you…he told us what your clan had been looking for all these centuries,” Minghao spoke monotonously. “So tell me, how does it feel to have a power you can hide behind, coward?”

The ground tightened around his feet, slowly crushing his bones under the pressure.

“You talk far too much for someone who’s about to die,” Minhyun said, drawing his sword and sauntering closer to where the Omega stood.

Minghao pulled his own sword out to defend himself, gritting his teeth and ignoring the pain in his lower limbs. “You think I can’t beat you just because I can’t move?”

“I wield a power greater than that of your king. You and your armies will never beat me,” the Alpha declared, beginning his assault with the blade in his hands. “Beg for mercy, and I shall spare you.”

The Omega blocked each attack that came his way without difficulty. “Having a power does not make you or any of your allies better than me!”

Minhyun whirled around his body and swung his sword at different points behind Minghao. The willowy Omega could only twist his torso around at limited angles, but he managed to avoid the barrage of blows through speed and nimbleness. 

The Alpha had not expected him to grab a handful of dirt and throw it into his eyes. He roared in anger and stumbled backwards as he tried to rub the particles out of his burning orbs, and Minghao took the opportunity to plunge his sword through his opponent’s thigh.

“That’s payback for my legs, you bastard!!!”

Minghao pulled his sword out and plunged it into Minhyun’s other leg. Blood splattered all over the grass, ruining both of their garments with vile red droplets. 

The Alpha bellowed in pain and tumbled onto the forest floor, still desperately rubbing at his eyes. 

He could’ve gone straight for the heart while Minhyun was vulnerable, but Minghao knew how much this person meant to Wonwoo. The most he could do was disable the Alpha until he was weak enough to be tied up and brought back to Firestorm Fortress.

Heading to the Aster Province was no longer a luxury they could afford. Once he was done fighting the Alpha, they all had to go back and head to safety. 

“You’re pathetic. No wonder Wonwoo-hyung fell for someone else…” he muttered cruelly, swooping down to dig himself out of the ground.

Even though Minhyun still could not see, the Alpha from Chrysanthemum State picked up his sword and blindly charged forward before Minghao could properly dodge. 

His sword grazed over the Omega’s shoulder, and blood starting pouring out of his body and soaking through his robes. 

Minghao howled in agony, and without meaning to do so, he cried out for his Alpha. It felt spineless to call for help in the middle of the battle, but his instincts had taken over from the excruciating pain in his body. He was surprised such a horrible sound could even come from him, and the Omega hated himself for endangering Junhui like this.

A menacing Alpha roar answered his call, but it did not sound like Minghao’s mate.

The willowy Omega’s eyes shot open in cognizance.

He knew exactly who that roar belonged to.

Mingyu and Wonwoo emerged from the dense verdure, entering the battlefield like a herald from the gods. 

He couldn’t believe the two Alphas had caught up to them, and he even felt more like a fool for wandering around in the forest for days on end. 

“I’m going to kill you…I’m going to kill all of you!” Minhyun - who could now see everything again - shouted, fully consumed by the rage bursting through his skin.

“Hyung!” Wonwoo cried, but before he could approach, Mingyu got to the Alpha first and clashed swords with him. 

“Wonwoo, stay back!” 

He sharply turned to Minghao and was shocked to see the state of his legs. It did not take much for him to realize why the Omega had been swallowed by the earth. 

“Minghao! Hold on!” He dropped to his knees and began pounding his fists into the hardened soil, tearing at it and bruising his own fingers from the tough surface. Thankfully, they managed to slowly chip away at the dirt together. “Where is Junhui and Soonyoung?”

“They’re out there somewhere. I had them hide when we found out an enemy was close by.”

“Is it only Minhyun who’s here?”

“I know his men are also here, but I’m not sure where. He hasn’t called for them, and none of the other clans have shown themselves either.”

Wonwoo’s expression warped with misery. “Hwasun Choi has Jisoo-hyung.”

“What?!” 

How could their enemies have captured the Second Prince? 

Hong Jisoo was the most protected person in the entire city. 

“They have Jisoo-hyung, and Jeonghan-hyung went to Begonia Highland with Seokmin. Everyone else is still in Firestorm Fortress.”

Minghao could not hide his frustration and worry. “We need to get back as soon as possible and send Jeonghan help-”

Wonwoo’s attention swiftly returned to Minhyun as soon as he heard the Alpha groan in pain. 

He was on the ground, blade shattered and discarded meters away from him. He stared in horror as Mingyu lifted his sword, preparing to deliver the finishing blow. 

Wonwoo frantically scrambled to his feet, picked up his sword, and ran to his former king’s aid. “Mingyu, stop!!! You promised! You promised you would spare him!!!”

Minghao could only look upon the scene and gape in horror. “Wonwoo!!! Don’t do it!!!”

* * *

Soonyoung gasped, feeling an agonizing twinge in his heart. He doubled-over from the sudden sensation, losing his breath and cringing from the scourge that seized his entire body.

Why did it feel like…

But it wasn’t possible.

Why could he feel his Alpha’s presence nearby?

Mingyu couldn’t be here.

He was back in Firestorm Fortress, safe and sound…preparing for their wedding ceremony.

How could Mingyu be here?

The prince emerged from his hiding place, clutching his chest from the debilitating pain. His eyes watered as frantically searched for any sign of his Alpha’s presence in this somber forest. 

He didn’t know where Mingyu was.

But…

He was here.

Soonyoung didn’t want to believe it, but there was no other explanation why his heart was so painful. 

Why was his Alpha in so much pain?

“ _Mingyu?_ ” he whispered into the blowing wind.

* * *

The Alpha King of Gwangsan Kim stepped back just in time before his sword could strike. Wonwoo had wedged himself between the two kings, arms open and ready to receive death from Mingyu’s weapon.

“I’m sorry, Mingyu, but I can’t let you kill him,” Wonwoo said, pained and anguished. He had chosen a side long ago, but that could not erase the love he felt for his former friend. “You promised you would spare Hwang Minhyun. You promised… That is all I will ask of you. Call me a traitor. Send me to the gallows after all this is done. Just please…please don’t kill him.”

Mingyu bared his teeth at Wonwoo for getting in his way, but the other Alpha was right. He had made a promise, and he had to reel in his emotions before he could lose control. 

“I will keep my word…” 

Despite his own personal desire to do away with at least one of their enemies, he lowered his sword, and Wonwoo smiled at him and gratitude. 

“Thank you. Thank you, Mingyu…”

The fight was over. 

Minhyun could not stand a chance against the King of Gwangsan Kim alone, even with his new powers. He knew that. Everyone knew that.

Wonwoo had saved him from his demise…the one person who’d reigned over his heart all these years…the one person whose betrayal he could never fully accept. 

As he stared at the back of Wonwoo’s head, the words of the Omega he’d previously been fighting echoed through his mind.

_No wonder Wonwoo fell for someone else…_

Minhyun could still remember _that_ _Omega_ ’s face. He remembered how smitten Wonwoo had been upon seeing the boy for the first time. Minhyun had waited years for Wonwoo to reciprocate his feelings, but _that Omega_ had to ruin everything. 

Wonwoo ran off and joined Gwangsan Kim because of their wretched prince. 

Wonwoo had forgotten all about him and the years they’d spent together. 

All for _that Omega_.

Minhyun hated him. 

He hated _all of them_.

_No wonder Wonwoo fell for someone else…_

Anger bubbled and seared through his veins, feeding his desire for carnage and bloodshed.

He snatched Wonwoo’s sword out of the unsuspecting Alpha’s hand…

…And rushed to impale it straight through the injured Omega’s body.

Mingyu had sensed Minhyun’s sudden movement, and when he saw which direction he was heading, the Alpha king of Gwangsan Kim immediately roared in alarm.

“Minghao!!! Get out of the way!!!”

Wonwoo turned around and screamed in shock and trepidation. “Minhyun, no!!!” 

Minghao had not anticipated the sudden attack directed towards him, and he didn’t have enough strength to veer away fast enough.

Time came to a frightening halt, and all the warmth in his body dissipated into cold, empty nothingness.

His body was frozen in place, and his eyes did not dare to blink. 

But despite all the coldness and all the chilling gloom in the air of the forest, Junhui graced him with a smile as bright and as balmy as the sun.

Beautiful as always.

Minghao lowered his gaze and choked at the sight of the blade that had spiked through his Alpha’s chest…right where his heart was. 

Minhyun retracted his weapon, and Junhui’s blood poured out and splattered everywhere. 

There was scarlet red everywhere he looked, dripping onto the grass…onto their clothes…painting all over their exposed skin with no end in sight. 

The Omega didn’t even know if it was his blood or Junhui’s all over his hands. 

There was too much.

It was all too much.

“I love you…” Junhui murmured his final words through bloodied lips, eyes closing as he fell forward and lost consciousness in Minghao’s arms.

His Alpha had shielded him from being pierced by Minhyun’s blade…and now…and now he…

“J-Jun…” the Omega stammered, mind refusing to accept what had just transpired right in front of him. His body was quivering as he wrapped his arms around his lover. “Jun…t-this isn’t funny…you s-shouldn’t be joking a-at a time like this…”

Tears were spilling out of his orbs like a torrent, and he began shaking Junhui with all his might.

“Junhui, c-cut it out! Wake up!!! Wake up!!!” Minghao wailed, sobbing uncontrollably. “I-I’m…I’m going to be so mad at y-you…please…don’t do this to me…”

But his Alpha wasn’t responding to him at all, and the Omega felt like his soul was detaching itself from his body.

This wasn’t right.

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

They were supposed to get married and have children together. 

They were supposed to stay together forever.

He’d sacrificed so much. He’d done so much to take care of Junhui, to protect him, and to keep him safe.

So why?

Why had this happened to his Alpha?

_Xiao Hao Hao, I missed you!_

_Did you fall in love while I was sleeping?_

_I’ve always loved you, Xu Minghao._

_Don’t be so mean, Hao Hao._

_I have complete faith in you, my love._

_I love you…_

_I love you…_

_I love you, Minghao…_

He needed to hear his Alpha’s voice again. 

“You can’t leave me… Wen Junhui…dont’ you dare leave me…”

He placed the Alpha on his back and put his hands over the open wound on Junhui’s chest. 

Minghao had saved him once before. The doctor from the White Swan Empire had taught him how. All he had to do was give the Alpha his power, just as he had years ago. 

He focused all of his energy into the wound, praying to the gods to help him, but because he was also losing blood, it wasn’t enough.

Nothing was happening.

Junhui wasn’t opening his eyes.

“Minghao! What happened?!”

He looked up and cried out desperately to the Omega prince who’d just appeared. “Soonyoung, help me! Put your hands on his chest!”

Soonyoung urgently got down on his knees and placed both hands on the opposite side of Minghao’s without fully grasping what was going on.

Hadn’t they just been in the middle of their traveling mere minutes ago?

Who had done this to Junhui? 

Why would they do this to him?

He started feeling dizzy from staring all the blood, and Soonyoung felt his gut wrench from both fear and realization striking him at the same time.

“Now give him all your energy! Help me save him!”

He’d followed Minghao’s orders blindly, thinking that they actually could do something. 

But Junhui was no longer breathing, and his body was slowly going cold beneath Soonyoung’s fingertips.

“Minghao…” he whimpered, now weeping just as Minghao was. The Omega prince withdrew his hands from the Alpha’s chest, shaking from the blood staining his palms. “M-Minghao, I don’t think he’s-”

The willowy Omega snarled at him. “Don’t you dare! Don’t you dare say that! Junhui’s still alive! He just needs our energy! We only need to give him a bit more!” 

Soonyoung continued bawling as he watched Minghao cradle his Alpha’s body against himself, and Mingyu automatically pulled him into an embrace. There was much to talk about between them, but now was not the right time.

The king’s face had an endless trail of tears running down his cheeks, and Wonwoo, who’d been speechless by what had happened, snapped out of his state of shock and crumbled to the ground. 

“Minhyun…Minhyun, Junhui was my best friend…” he said to his former king, sniveling as he hunched over and choked on his sobs. “You killed my best friend!”

None of them had noticed the darkening of the skies, and the sound of thunder that had been moving closer and closer to them.

The wind was howling viciously, pounding at their bodies as if coercing them to run away, but none of them had no willpower to move.

Lightning struck the ground next to Minhyun, and two other foes emerged from the startling flash.

Mingyu recognized them both.

The enemy really had no care to give them time to mourn.

He slowly stood up to go head-to-head against the three enemies now in their presence.

Soonyoung tugged at his hand, fervently holding it tight. “Mingyu! Don’t fight them! Please just go! Save yourself!”

The Alpha glanced back at him sadly and gently pulled away. “You know I can’t do that, Soonyoung…”

They had just killed a clan member of Gwangsan Kim, and he was never going to forgive any of them.

“Good job, Minhyun,” Fu Longfei stated sinisterly, obviously pleased to see Junhui’s lifeless body being rocked back and forth by a dazed Minghao. “You killed my cousin. I would have preferred for you to kill his Omega as well, but I guess we can do that later. Torture is an important part of warfare after all.”

Choi Minki was beside him, wearing an eyepatch over his left eye. He arrogantly leered at Mingyu, unfazed by the flames emerging from the Alpha’s hands. “And look, the mutt is here too. Dongho will be pissed when he finds out. After all the trouble he went through to bring his army to Firestorm Fortress…I guess he won’t be claiming the Power of Fire as his own.”

“If you all want this power so much, come have a taste of it. I won’t mind burning any of your wretched tongues into ash,” Mingyu growled.

“I’d be careful if I were you,” Minki answered with a devious grin, flailing his whip around. 

Longfei pulled his sword out of its sheath. “He’s right. You wouldn’t want to accidentally kill your own friends now, would you?”

The King of Hwasun Choi struck at Mingyu, but the Alpha dodged his whip and grabbed onto it. He set the weapon ablaze, and the fire quickly consumed the long expanse of leather. 

But the whip had not disintegrated from his flames.

Minki jerked the whip out of Mingyu’s grasp, and the fire died out immediately. His weapon had not been tarnished, and this time, when he’d struck the ground with it, lightning came crashing down from the heavens straight onto the King of Gwangsan Kim.

Mingyu felt his nerves burn from the electricity surging through his entire body. The pain was harrowing, especially as the lightning dispelled and charred his insides, but he couldn’t let them beat him. 

He still had to protect Wonwoo, Minghao, and Soonyoung. 

After the lightning completed its circuit, Mingyu attempted to charge forward, but his body couldn’t move no matter how hard he tried to lift his limbs.

His flames were burning at his fingertips, but he could not propel them at his enemies. 

The earth swallowed him up and buried his entire body in the dirt. Mingyu managed to combust and burn a hole through the ground and tried to climb his way out, but before he could escape, Longfei hovered over him and drowned him in a deluge of water summoned from his own palms.

His fires were doused, and the hole completely filled within seconds, giving him no time to breathe or reach the surface for air. Water was going into his lungs, and he could not set himself ablaze whilst submerged. 

This couldn’t be right.

He hadn’t even had to chance to fight them properly. 

How could he have been defeated so easily?

Firestorm Fortress…

He had to get back to his kingdom…

Minghao…Jeonghan…Jisoo…Soonyoung…

He had to save them.

He couldn’t let their enemies hurt them.

His friends…

His family…

His lover…

“Soo-Soon…you…”

Everything turned black before he could finish muttering his Omega’s name.


	25. Chapter 25

_Between the time when flowers bloom and scatter, scars heal and sprouts emerge. We live for this moment, the first and last. That's why I won't take you for granted, because you love somebody like me..._

_-Seventeen, Fallin' Flower (2020)_

_The flowers in his garden were glowing._

_In the short span of time since Eunwoo had started caring for them, he’d managed to give Dokyeom’s children a newfound vibrance they never had before._

_His garden looked astoundingly vivid, and when Dokyeom gingerly caressed one of the astilbe petals with his fingers, it felt crisp, smooth, and supple all at the same time. His flowers were no longer delicate little things that would fall apart in his hands. They were healthy again._

_They were truly, wholly bursting with life._

_His children were so happy, and so the God of Fate was happy as well._

_However…despite all that he’d done to help, the God of Flowers could not smile._

_“I’m so sorry, Dokyeom,” Eunwoo muttered despondently. “Your calico asters…they’re…they would not respond to my healing touch. They’re dying…”_

_Dokyeom’s gaze lowered, glancing at his stubborn children wistfully._

_His dear calico asters…_

_They’d suffered the most here in his garden. The Dark Entity of Death had encumbered them with a curse that even the God of Fate could not lift - a slow and painful destruction._

_It was only a matter of time before they were all gone._

_“I’ve failed you…I’m so…so sorry, Dokyeom…”_

_But the God of Flowers had no need to apologize for anything._

_He had shown Dokyeom’s children a kindness and generosity past what was expected of him. Eunwoo had given so much of himself to the garden when he never even had to do anything in the first place._

_He could have been selfish with his powers, but instead, he chose to be magnanimous._

_“Please don’t apologize. You have done nothing wrong. I have only gratitude for you in my heart. It would be painful to say goodbye to my children, but until the last of the calico asters perishes, I will delight in their presence and stay by their side…”_

_Eunwoo raised his brows, bewilderment and dismay clouding the brilliant gold in his orbs. “But I thought…I- Would…would you not be making more of them?”_

_Dokyeom shook his head. “If this is their end, I shall let their bloodline rest peacefully.”_

_“But the calico asters are so beautiful. Surely, you can use your powers to help them create more children and live on?”_

_“No…” the God of Fate stated, smiling bittersweetly. “Because no matter how beautiful they are…no matter how much I love them…I do not wish for anymore of their descendants to hurt or suffer. I do not wish for anyone else to become heated at the sight of my children and bring them harm.”_

_“Then I shall stay here. If someone is always watching over them, no one will succeed in harming any of your children ever again.”_

_“That is too much to ask for, Eunwoo. What about your own children down in the middle kingdom? Are you going to neglect them just to take care of mine?”_

_“My children had already given me their blessings. I would have never entered your garden in the first place if they had not encouraged me to follow my heart…”_

_“Follow your heart? So then…it was your heart that had led you to my garden?”_

_“No…actually…” Eunwoo smiled, gaze softening timidly. There was dusty pink spreading over the bridge of his nose and his cheeks. For a moment, with the way his glimmering white skin colored in sanguine, Eunwoo almost looked like a mortal._

_But the gleaming in his eyes was far from human._

_The person before him was a god through and through, but the way he spoke…the way he smiled so freely…the way he peered so tenderly at Dokyeom…the way his emotions seemed so unrestrained...none of it was celestial._

_In fact...the God of Flowers was staring at him the same way humans did…when they were in love…_

_No other living entity had ever looked at Dokyeom like this, and without understanding why, he couldn’t stop staring back at Eunwoo’s enigmatic expression._

_“…it led me to you…”_

* * *

Dark clouds purveyed a tale of despair across the heavens, and the gloaming of a tenebrous end loomed over the residents of Firestorm Fortress.

The citizens were forced to evacuate their homes in the city, and with the guidance of the Alpha king’s men, they were frantically being ushered in the fields behind their kingdom’s palace.

The colors of Mount Magnolia were already at the gates. Soldiers clad in metal and leather awaited their own Alpha king’s command, ready to tear down the walls of Gwangsan Kim and kill every last person inside.

The leader of Jinju Kang had an army of thousands accompanying him, and he had only one goal before the dawn of the following day arrived - to take the Power of Fire for himself, no matter what the cost.

Chan knew this.

Many of their enemies coveted his father’s great gift, and it was only a matter of time before one of them became foolish and greedy enough to try and steal it.

But Kang Dongho did not know that Kim Mingyu wasn’t here. Even if Chan were to tell him that, the Alpha would undoubtedly refuse to listen.

A war was already at their doorstep. They had no other choice but to fight back, and Chan could not afford to lose this battle.

He already knew that his father’s kingdom would be suffering a great loss today, but the Omega prince wasn’t going to allow any of the innocent civilians to become a part of that diminution. Nothing was more important to him than the safety of their people.

He and the remaining palace dwellers swiftly donned their suits of armor - an act which would be the last time for some of them.

They all knew a siege would come upon their home at some point, and despite knowing this, they had all stayed because each one of them had something to fight for.

Every one of them had someone they needed to protect.

Even without Mingyu, Jeonghan, or Minghao there, they had to be brave. They had to stay strong. They had to fight in order to _live_.

The Prince of Gwangsan Kim gently smiled at his older brothers, unshed tears glimmering in his eyes. He was the youngest of them all, but he had the heaviest burden to bear - one he was more than willing to carry. Chan would happily be crushed under the weight of it all, if it meant his beloved family members would be spared.

After all…he had no mate of his own to mourn over him if he died…

But Hansol? Seungkwan? Seungcheol and Jihoon?

They did.

They all had someone they needed to live for.

So Chan had to protect them and the rest of the kingdom - this was his duty as the Prince of Gwangsan Kim. He had to make sure they stayed alive, and if it meant laying down his own life for them, then so be it. The Omega prince knew his father was doing the exact same thing right now for the rest of their family.

For Jeonghan, Jisoo, Junhui, Minghao…Soonyoung…and…

…and…

_…Wonwoo._

His smile faltered, and a tear escaped his right eye and blazed a trail down his pale cheek.

“Chan,” Seungcheol called out, voice pained with worry. “Are you alight? Are you afraid?”

The Omega prince shook his head, stubbornly wiping the tear away. “I am not afraid. I’m just…so… _grateful_ … to have all of you by my side.”

“We all made a promise, didn’t we?” Jihoon stated, raising his forearm and showing off the vambraces he’d only recently carved lisianthus petals into. “Until the end.”

“You can count on us,” Seungkwan said, also presenting his new vambraces covered in peonies. “We will follow your lead.”

Hansol stepped up and smirked. “What are your orders, Chan?”

The Omega from Lee’s Astilbe instinctively grabbed hold of the pendant around his neck, completely in awe of the people surrounding him. They were all looking to him for leadership. Despite his age and despite his Omega status, they really did believe in him. They really did trust in him, and Chan was immensely thankful.

He had a plan. He knew what he needed to do.

“Hansol-hyung, Seungkwan-hyung…” their youngest started with a determined expression. Chan had already lost a family once. He wasn’t going to lose this one too. “I need you both to escort the rest of the civilians over the mountains. Make sure every last one of them reaches the safe point. If Firestorm Fortress is overrun, take them across the desert and find them a new place to call home.”

The Alpha and Omega pair nodded in understanding, and together, they descended into the precinct and led a group of soldiers out into the city to completely empty it of its civilians.

Once all the common folk were out of harm’s way, the black gates would be opened, and the war between the two kingdoms would finally begin.

“Jihoon-hyung,” Chan turned to the physician next. “Stay in the palace grounds with the other medics. We need to be ready for the casualties.”

The Omega doctor’s lips pressed together thinly, before he released a nervous breath. “Chan…are you sure? It’s going to be a blood bath out there. I know I'm not the best at combat, but if I'm not out there near the front lines…if you were mortally wounded, you know you might- you might not…”

_You might not make it back alive…_

Neither of them wanted to say or hear it, but they both understood.

“I know, hyung,” the prince responded, concealing the somberness in his tone as best as he could. “But I need you to stay back and save as many wounded soldiers as you can. No fighting. Do not try to save me. If our kingdom falls, follow after Hansol-hyung and Seungkwan-hyung.”

“But what about you? What about Won-”

“ _Please…_ hyung, _go now,_ ” Chan ordered him sternly, and Jihoon had to clench his jaw to hold back every emotion inside him threatening to take over.

Without more words, the doctor wrapped his arms around the prince, squeezing him tightly and conveying his familial love for the boy on last time, before fleeing back inside.

The youngest sighed painfully, turning to one last person beside him. “Seungcheol-hyung, I need you to command the fire hounds. _I_ will ride to the front lines and face off against their Alpha king.”

“ _Chan_ , I’m _not_ letting you go up against Kang Dongho alone,” the Alpha from Cattleya Farm argued obstinately, brows knitted in frustration.

“Hyung, Junhui-hyung isn't here with us. You're the only other person who has enough experience leading the hounds, and we need them to win this fight,” Chan asserted.

Seungcheol's expression grew even more distraught. “But you don’t have to fight him by yourself. Listen to me. _I am here_ , Chan. We can fight him together.”

“No, hyung…I need you to fight with the hounds, and I need you to take them up to the mountains and protect our citizens if we lose the fight down here.”

The prince hastily turned away to leave, but Seungcheol tightly clasped a hand onto the Omega’s arm.

“I don’t like this idea, Chan,” Seungcheol had to say. “Whatever you’re thinking, you know I can’t just let you-”

“Please…please, hyung, trust me! Please go to the hounds!” Chan beseeched, his body shaking as he closed his eyes and refused to shed more tears. He’d already cried enough, and the Alpha didn't need to see any more of it. “I have to do this… I have to be the one to defeat Kang Dongho! I have to keep you all safe…at least from him. I can’t let him hurt any of you. I just can't!”

With a harsh tug, he escaped Seungcheol’s grasp and leaped down the staircase to meet his doom. All the while, the Alpha shouted for him to come back, but Chan kept running until he could no longer hear Seungcheol’s pleas.

* * *

Soonyoung smiled, sighing contentedly at the warm sunshine delicately caressing his skin.

He had been here many times before.

This was his garden beyond the blinding haze, where the skies were made of flowers and everything was always bright and beautiful.

Here, serenity was a friend who would welcome him back time and time again.

He stood up from his kneeling position and dusted off the white sand on his black trousers. The prince glanced left and right, eagerly searching for the one person he always came to see in this place.

But Soonyoung was alone…

There was no sign of the menacing man in white anywhere.

It was strange.

Everything looked the same, but…

Something was off. Something wasn’t right. 

Where was his Alpha?

It wasn’t like him to leave Soonyoung all by himself.

Oh.

Oh, that’s right…

Of course his Alpha wouldn’t be here.

His Alpha was already-

_Soonyoung tugged at his hand, fervently holding it tight. “Mingyu! Don’t fight them! Please just go! Save yourself!”_

_The Alpha glanced back at him sadly and gently pulled away. “You know I can’t do that, Soonyoung…”_

Dead.

The Omega’s eyes shot open as he sharply inhaled and snapped up from the ground he’d been sleeping on. Soonyoung clutched at his chest, unable to calm his rapid heartbeat. He looked down at his body and found himself bound at the waist and ankles. His breathing took on a horrible rhythm as he stared at the chains in terror.

_No. No. No, no, no._

_Please no._

He was supposed to be _free_ in _this_ world. He wasn't supposed to be shackled and caged like an animal waiting to be slaughtered.

He wasn't supposed to be bound like this.

But the chains were real. They were tight and suffocating, cold and oppressing.

He was not dreaming anymore. His Alpha was not here to keep him safe.

Was he still even breathing?

Soonyoung couldn’t even feel the air entering his lungs anymore.

Instead, he could only feel agony. He could only feel fear and anguish. His limbs ached, and everything inside his chest felt like it was being seared and stabbed repeatedly. 

The prince couldn’t hold back his guttural screams as he bawled and jerked at his chains in sorrow and self-resentment.

Why hadn’t he done something to help Mingyu?

How could he let his own Alpha die?

All he’d done was watch as the ground swallowed his king and their enemies drowned him beneath the earth. All he did was stare in fear and horror. All the while, he’d felt his Alpha’s pain until…

Until his heart had sunk and crumbled…until the stinging had slowly dissipated…and only the harrowing throbs remained before he fainted…because in that frozen moment in time, there was nothing left for him to feel.

Because the Alpha King of Gwangsan Kim had fallen…

Because Mingyu was-

Soonyoung choked on his sobs, wailing and spilling tears as he curled up into a ball on the dirty floor of his prison cell.

Why had he even wanted to go home?

Mingyu was dead because of his selfishness.

Minghao had lost his mate because of Soonyoung’s stupidity.

He wished he’d never asked to go back to the Aster Province. If it hadn’t been for him, Mingyu and Junhui would still be alive.

They’d done so much for him, but at the end of it all, Soonyoung had acted like nothing but a coward. After everything Mingyu had given him…Soonyoung had been too much of a weak and useless Omega to repay him.

Now, Mingyu was gone…Junhui was gone…and their foes were going to seize Firestorm Fortress and kill everyone inside.

“ _M-Min…Mingyu…_ ” the Omega prince whispered feebly as tears poured down his face. “ _I’m so sorry…Mingyu…_ ”

“Soonyoung,” he heard someone faintly murmur back at him.

He lifted himself up once more, and his eyes darted around to find the owner of the voice he knew all too well.

There, in the corner of the room, the prince saw the despondent face of a man who had once been far too cold to express any warm emotions. For the first time since Soonyoung had met him, the willowy Omega looked fragile and afraid - vulnerable and nothing like his former self.

“Minghao…” the prince muttered woefully.

* * *

“ _Was it worth it?_ ”

Minhyun’s frown deepened as he looked up from the scroll he was reading.

In the middle of the Alpha king’s makeshift study, the traitor of Chrysanthemum State was shackled by the wrists - arms spread out and chained from one wall to another.

They were in the home of another royal family, not in the treasured palace of Changwon Hwang, but for now, Minhyun had to make do with what was available. After all, their stay was only temporary. Once Kim Jonghyun finally attained his own covert goal, they could all go home and reign over their territories with their new gifts.

No one would ever try to take his kingdom away from him ever again, because he was now commander of the earth. He could make mountains bow before him and split the ground beneath his enemies’ strongholds. He was mighty and indomitable - a supreme being who wielded unimaginable power.

The chosen scion of The Fourth Brother.

_Minhyun was now a god._

“Tell me, hyung. Was it all worth it in the end?”

_If only Wonwoo could see that…if only he could open his eyes and finally see all that Minhyun had achieved..._

“Given your current situation, I don’t think it would be wise to taunt me right now,” the king replied, putting his scroll away and stalking forward to leer down at his former friend.

He wanted the treacherous Alpha to feel the discrepancy of power between the two of them. They were no longer equals. Wonwoo was inferior to him now, and he would have to stare up at Minhyun from this point on.

“It would be all too easy for me to bury you alive…but I am willing to forgive all your transgressions if you renounce your allegiance to Gwangsan Kim.”

Wonwoo snarled and glared back at him. “You can just go ahead and kill me then.”

“ _I’m being generous_ ,” Minhyun hissed. “Nobody from Gwangsan Kim will come to save you. You have only _me_ , Wonwoo. If it weren’t for me, Longfei and Minki would have ripped you limb from limb!”

“Well you should have let them!!!”

“Renounce your allegiance, Wonwoo!”

“No!!!” Wonwoo roared at the top of his lungs. “I will never turn my back on my family!!! Even if you rip my eyes out and torture me to death, I will _always_ be loyal to Gwangsan Kim!!!”

Minhyun angrily bellowed back at him. His hand seized Wonwoo’s throat, and his fingers pressed into the skin - ready to hurt and ready to maim.

He wanted to hear the Alpha beg for mercy, to beg for his forgiveness and ask for a second chance.

But Wonwoo did not want to be spared.

“G-Go a…ahead…ki-kill…me…” he managed to utter even as he was being strangled. His eyes had gone red from the smothering pressure, but they still looked haunted. They were still miserable and imploring for an end.

Why was Wonwoo so willing to die for Minhyun’s enemies? How had _that Omega_ become so much more important to Wonwoo than his own life?

Even until now, he couldn’t accept it.

Why couldn’t Wonwoo fall for him? What did _that Omega_ have that Minhyun could not give Wonwoo?

It wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair.

He had loved Wonwoo all these years. He’d done everything he could to win the Alpha’s heart.

Minhyun just wanted Wonwoo to love him back.

Why couldn’t he see that?

Why couldn’t Wonwoo love him instead?

The king growled in frustration, and he immediately released the Alpha from his forceful grip, ignoring Wonwoo’s coughs and desperate gasps for breath.

“This is all _his_ fault…” the king jeered. He wished he’d been allowed to invade Firestorm Fortress instead of Kang Dongho. “I should’ve killed _him_ when I had the chance. I should’ve killed _him_ and his father before they even stepped foot inside my palace. If you hadn’t met them…if you hadn’t fallen for _that Omega_ -”

“ _Don’t_ blame this on him!”

“-if _he_ hadn’t seduce you, you would never have left to join his father’s pitiful kingdom!” 

“I left because you wanted to ally yourself with those monsters from the mountain kingdoms!” Wonwoo cried out. “You knew what horrible things they were doing! You knew what kind of people they were, but you were so hungry for power that you were willing to do anything to get it! Well now you have all the power you could ever want! So was it worth it, hyung?! Was it worth killing all those people?!”

Minhyun turned his face away, refusing to speak.

There was no remorse in the Alpha king’s blank expression. His eyes were vacant and soulless, and it made Wonwoo’s insides curdle from disgust and disbelief.

“How many lives did you have to take? Ten? Twenty? Fifty? A hundred? _Two hundred???_ ”

Still, the Alpha would not say anything, and the skin on Wonwoo’s face became pale, and his veins turned ice cold.

“Minhyun-hyung…how many?”

Before Wonwoo deserted Chrysanthemum State, Hwang Minhyun had once told him that blood was the ultimate price for power. But to possess the most divine powers - fire, water, wind, and earth - the death of the innocents had to be excruciating and the carnage had to be merciless.

That is what Kim Jonghyun had told Minhyun.

“Answer me!!!” Wonwoo yelled out in fury, pulling at his chains as he attempted to stand. But his legs were still too weak to keep him up, so he skidded forward and fell back onto his knees. “Why did I even bother protecting you against Mingyu? How did I ever even think you were worth saving?! Junhui would still be alive right now if I hadn’t stopped Mingyu from killing you…”

“…I did not mean to kill your Alpha friend…” Minhyun answered ruefully, clenching his fists until his nails were digging into his palms. “I was trying to kill his worthless Omega.”

“ _His name is Xu Minghao_ ,” Wonwoo sneered. “He was going to marry Junhui. They were trying to build a future together, but now…now he can’t…they can’t be together, because of _you_! _You killed_ the person he loved the most!!!”

Minhyun finally met his gaze once more, hollow eyes bleeding with melancholy and bitterness. “Not everyone can be with the person they love the most…”

* * *

He was awake.

He’d been awake for a while now, but to the soldiers guarding his prison cell, Jeonghan was still unconscious.

It had been days since he and Seokmin snuck into Begonia Highland, and though they’d been extremely cautious, Choi Minki and his men had intercepted them before they’d even reached the underground dungeons. What followed after was a bloody brawl. Jeonghan managed to gouge Minki’s eye out before the Begonia soldiers tore him away from their leader and beaten him close to death.

The last thing he saw was Seokmin being overpowered by the other Alphas before losing consciousness.

In all honesty, their plan to rescue Jisoo with only two men had been foolish from the start. He was surprised that the Beta had gone along with his reckless plan, but the Alpha knew his companion had a very good reason for joining this daring crusade.

He hadn’t mentioned this to anyone else, but Jeonghan had caught onto the Beta’s obscured intelligence a long time ago. He just wondered why Seokmin even felt the need to hide it from everyone by acting silly and oblivious all the time.

Was he an ally of their enemies? A spy?

He couldn’t be. It would have only taken Jeonghan a day to figure that out if he were.

No, Seokmin was hiding something else from them.

The Alpha didn’t care what it was as long as he remained a friend. Even though the Beta had only recently joined their mismatched family, he was already well-loved by Jisoo and the others. Even Minghao had taken a liking to him rather quickly, and no one bothered questioning it, because everyone loved having him around.

Seokmin's presence was as warm and as radiant as the sun, and his smiles were always vibrant enough to lift anyone’s spirits. Whenever Jeonghan was with him, it felt like everything was going to be okay. The jovial Beta - who carried the scent of bergamots everywhere he went - was safe to be around, easy to trust, and kinder than even the purest of souls. Jeonghan could see it in his golden, ethereal eyes.

Just thinking about him made the Alpha’s lips curl upwards, but he had to remember where he was. This wasn’t the time to be smiling. He had a fairly good idea where Hwasun Choi’s men had taken Seokmin, and he prayed that his Beta companion was alright.

He just needed to wait a bit longer before attempting their breakout.

Guards easily grew bored of watching over prisoners, and they often became more and more negligent as time sluggishly passed - gossiping and spewing pertinent information when they thought no one was listening.

So it was essential for Jeonghan to pretend to be unconscious for as long as he could. He was aware that the torture would be coming soon, but Choi Minki wasn’t going to kill any of them. Not yet at least.

Hwasun Choi needed them as bargaining chips, and the best way for their king to get what he wanted from Gwangsan Kim was to exploit Jeonghan, Jisoo, and Seokmin.

His heart started racing when he heard another group of soldiers come bounding into the underground. They sounded like they were dragging a heavy body into one of the farther prison cells.

Who was it? Who else had they captured?

Jeonghan desperately hoped it wasn’t another one of his family members, but he couldn’t help but feel venomous, serpentine dread coiling in his belly.

“What the hell! Who is that?” one of the Alphas watching over Jeonghan asked.

He tried to remain calm. He tried to keep his breathing steady and his body immobile. 

But upon hearing the answer - which had come straight from the leader of Minki’s men, Jeonghan failed to stop the tears from leaving his closed eyes.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!!!! To everyone who's still here, thank you for being so patient and understanding. Really, thank you so much for giving me time to get my mojo back. I really appreciate you guys! We're on the final stretch now, and I hope I can keep this up and post once a week at least. I promised I wouldn't abandon this fic, so I'm not going to! <3

_Between the time when flowers bloom and scatter, scars heal and sprouts emerge. We live for this moment, the first and last. That's why I won't take you for granted, because you love somebody like me..._

_-Seventeen, Fallin' Flower (2020)_

_He was an incumbent of the ethers, but this place had never felt so blissful and so reposeful until now. Here, with Eunwoo lying down on the ground next to him, surrounded by all his beloved children, Dokyeom finally discovered how it felt to truly be in paradise._

_The God of Flowers was so different from the selfish gods Dokyeom had known since the beginning of time. Eunwoo was ethereal and without a single flaw. He was exquisitely handsome and pleasant to look at, but it was the sublimity of his heart that transcended over every beautiful creature in both heaven and earth._

_No one was like Eunwoo._

_No one could ever be as kind and as pure as he was._

_He was just so lovely that, as each day passed, Dokyeom couldn’t help but become more and more besotted with the God of Flowers._

_It would have been impossible for him not to develop more intimate feelings Eunwoo. The immortal was still caring for Dokyeom’s children even though they were more than healthy and no longer needed constant attending to. He was always watching them and protecting them from any god who tried to maraud the garden. He spoke to them with only softness and care, even when he thought Dokyeom wasn’t looking, and whenever their eyes would meet, Eunwoo would peer at him and smile at him with an irradiance that conveyed nothing but love._

_He loved Dokyeom._

_The God of Fate had no idea why or how someone like Eunwoo had fallen in love with him, but he was thankful that it happened…because Dokyeom felt the same way._

_Dokyeom was hopelessly in love with him._

_But...something had been bothering him for a while now…_

_As he stared at the face of the deity next to him, Dokyeom found himself endlessly pondering over the many questions in his head._

_Compared to all the horrid celestials in the skies, the God of Flowers was absolutely perfect - this was only true and apparent, but there was something off about him. He was different but just a little too different, and Dokyeom wasn’t certain how it would affect their future._

_He hadn’t noticed it at first, because Eunwoo had been good at pretending that they were both the same._

_The problem was…they weren’t._

_“Eunwoo…” the God of Fate ruefully muttered. He had to know if what he was thinking was true. He had to know or else the curiosity would only continue to eat away at him. “You’re not the God of Flowers, are you?”_

_The smile on Eunwoo’s face receded at the corners, and a sliver of panic flashed in his golden eyes. “I am the God of Flowers, Dokyeom…” he answered with a weak chuckle. “W-Who else would I be?”_

_Dokyeom sat up and wearily sighed. “The Dark Entity of Death is always waiting for you at the entrance of my children’s home.”_

_“I promised I wouldn’t let your children get hurt,” Eunwoo said in dismay, as he quickly pushed himself off the ground.“Please don’t worry about Death ever entering this place again. I will send him away as many times as I have to.”_

_But the God of Flowers was not satisfied with that answer. “Is hurting my children his only purpose for coming?”_

_“W-What do you mean, Dokyeom?”_

_“Eunwoo, please be honest with me… What does Death really want?”_

_The handsome immortal shamefully lowered his gaze. “He…he does not like that I never leave this garden…”_

_“Why? Why would he care where you spend your time?”_

_“I…I…” Eunwoo’s voice quivered. He was scared to let Dokyeom know, but the God of Fate deserved the truth._

_If they were to build any sort of covenant together, secrets were no longer allowed._

_“Is it because he’s in love with you?” Dokyeom unveiled for the other god, frowning as he grievously spoke._

_Eunwoo shook his head. “He says that… He claims he is in love with me, but Death is only enamored with the idea of possessing me…”_

_He looked up at the horizon and carefully observed the broken sky split between day and night. He wished things were just as simple and as plain as morning and night, but in life, nothing was ever easy…not even for the powerful beings who reigned over everything beneath them. “I’ve told him so many times that my heart belongs to another, and yet…he still won’t leave me be.”_

_“Why does Death wish to have you so desperately?” Dokyeom asked. “If you say it is not love, then what is the reason?”_

_Eunwoo turned to the God of Fate once more, eyes pleading for clemency. “Dokyeom, please-”_

_“Who are you, Eunwoo?” He did not wish to push the other deity like this, but Dokyeom had no other choice. The truth needed to be said. For both of their sakes. “Tell me. Tell me who you really are.”_

_“I never lied to you, and I never meant to hide this from you. I am the God of Flowers, but…but I am also…” his voice trailed off, but only because he wished to fulfill his response in his own way._

_With unshed tears in his eyes, Eunwoo sadly smiled. He delicately placed a hand against Dokyeom’s cheek and carefully leaned in to whisper the answer into his ear._

* * *

“Your Highness, the soldiers are ready!”

Chan looked over his shoulder and regarded the messenger with a stern countenance. “And the civilians?”

“Every last one of them has been evacuated,” the young Omega soldier replied.

His breathing eased, and the prince gave him one last errand before the war finally began. “Tell the men not to open the gates until I give the signal.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

As the messenger scurried away to inform the troops, Chan returned his gaze to the marching army closing in on their territory.

Mount Magnolia had one of the biggest infantries in all the land. Their troops had nothing but burly Alpha men, and their numbers were great enough to push a hundred trebuchets all the way from their home in the mountains.

“Stay strong, men,” he said to the archers positioned down the line of their fortress’s wall. The Omega knew they were terrified, because he too was scared. However, Chan was the Prince of Gwangsan Kim, and he had to stay brave in the face of impending death. Jeonghan, Mingyu, and Minghao had taught him what to do, and he’d fought against enough Alphas and Betas to know he could best them at combat.

But he’d never been on the disadvantaged side of a siege, and there was only one way they could win this war.

The frightful plan was already falling into place. All Chan could do now was hold off Mount Magnolia’s army for as long as possible, kill as many soldiers as possible, before the gates were opened and the fate of the two kingdoms would be revealed.

Only one royal family was going to emerge as the victor, and the Omega prince had to make sure it would be Gwangsan Kim.

Most of all, he had to make sure no one from Jinju Kang would ever dare to step foot on their land and try to hurt his father ever again.

The sound of Mount Magnolia’s war horns reverberated across the battle ground, and with the eerie ukase, the fight commenced.

At their General’s command, Kang Dongho’s men charged forward, and Chan’s archers drew their arrows taut against their bows - ready to fire and waiting for his orders.

“Today, we fight for our king!!!” Chan cried out, loud and bullish like the domineering men who’d raised him. “We fight for the ones we love!!! We fight for our home!!!”

This was it.

The time had come for him to show his family how much they meant to him.

This was his recompense for all that they’d done for him, for all that they'd given him.

If he were to perish on this day, he would have no regrets...

If he and Wonwoo weren’t meant to be together...maybe in another lifetime, they could meet again.

“If we die, we die with honor! We die as free men! Alphas, Betas, and Omegas, let no enemy oppress us ever again!!! For Firestorm Fortress!!!”

The soldiers of Gwangsan Kim released their cheers and battle cries, and with a voice as ferocious as an Alphas’ roar, Chan shouted, “Fire!!!!”

* * *

“Seungcheol, why aren’t you with Chan?!”

Jihoon tactically dodged the overexcited (and oversized) puppies attempting to playfully subdue him with their snapping jaws. At the last minute, he’d thought to check which unfortunate soldier had been assigned to the hounds, and he was glad he’d gone to the meadows to see.

The Alpha wasn’t supposed to be here. As much as Jihoon wished Seungcheol didn't have to fight, he was supposed to be keeping Chan safe. He was the only one capable enough to do so.

“He’s at the front,” Seungcheol unhappily stated as he strapped on the extra armor over his chest. “He said he wanted me to guide the hounds.”

The physician furrowed his brows and practically screamed in frustration. “And you listened to him?!”

“Junhui and Mingyu aren’t here!” the Alpha argued back. “I wouldn’t have followed Chan’s orders if we didn’t need the hounds! The plan isn’t going to work without them.”

Seungcheol was right.

They needed the hounds now more than ever, and it was going to be extremely difficult without Junhui or Mingyu with them. Chan had made the best decision entrusting the hounds to Seungcheol, but that left him even more vulnerable without the Alpha by his side.

Neither of them favored this predicament, but someone had to be with the hounds when the time came.

Jihoon gritted his teeth in annoyance. There had to be another way. He had to think.

Chan was strong, and he was gallant…but he was their youngest. He was their prince. They all loved him as much as he loved them.

After a few more seconds of contemplation, Jihoon pursed his lips in silent acceptance. Before he could change his mind, the doctor swiftly blurted out, “I’ll do it! I’ll take care of the hounds.”

“Jihoon…” Seungcheol beseeched, obviously shocked by the Omega’s sudden declaration. “You’ve never even trained with the hounds!”

“Yes, I have!” he forcefully asserted, even though they both knew what he’d said wasn’t exactly true. “I mean- I’ve watched Junhui do his job more times than I can count.”

“You’re not fireproof.”

“Well neither are you!”

“Jihoon, you know how the plan will go. You know what can happen to you if you don’t-”

“I’ll be fine,” Jihoon answered curtly. He didn’t even want to think about what was going to happen to him. He’d already accepted his bleak fate. He just needed to fool Seungcheol into thinking he knew how to escape it. “Like you said, I know the plan, and I know how to deal with the hounds when the time comes. So go! Go to Chan. Please, Seungcheol.”

But judging by the expression on the Alpha’s face, he wasn’t convinced. Their argument wasn’t going to stop anytime soon, and they were running out of time.

“ _Please, Seungcheol._ You need to keep him safe. _Please!_ ” Jihoon begged. “I can do this. _Trust me._ ”

There was so much pain in the Alpha’s eyes.

There was still so much that needed to be said between them.

But it was too late now.

“Okay…okay,” Seungcheol finally relented. “But before I go, I need to tell you something.”

Jihoon knew exactly what the Alpha was going to say, and he had to put a stop to it at once.

“You can say it after we finish this war.”

The Omega knew he was being cruel, but it was better this way.

“Jihoon-”

“Don’t. Don’t think for one second that we’re not going to survive. You…me…Chan…and everyone else that matters to us… We’re all going to come out of this alive. So whatever it is you have to tell me, it can wait until after you and Chan kill Kang Dongho.”

Seungcheol didn’t have to think about what perilous end Jihoon would soon be facing.

He didn’t need to be thinking about Jihoon more than he should.

After this was over, the Alpha from Cattleya Farm wouldn’t have to worry about him anymore.

This was the most Jihoon could do for the people he loved in this time of war.

It was already too late for him and Seungcheol anyway…

“Alright.”

The Alpha removed the extra armor over his chest and allowed the heavy metal to fall to the ground. The Omega needed it more than he did now.

Seungcheol retrieved his sheathed sword propped against the fire hounds’ cage, and before rushing to the prince’s side, he said, “Jihoon, take care.”

“You too, Seungcheol.”

The physician kept a brave face on until Seungcheol’s figure slowly vanished into the distance. Once he was completely out of sight, Jihoon’s shoulders slumped, and his body started trembling out of cold and debilitating fear.

* * *

Soonyoung ran to the other side of the prison cell. He immediately wrapped his arms around the willowy Omega in relief and held him tight. “Minghao! Oh, Minghao, thank goodness! Thank goodness you’re alive!”

But his respite was short-lived, especially since the guilt he felt was viciously raking deep into his bones.

The prince released his Omega companion and shakily asked, “D-Do you know if Wonwoo…if he’s-”

“He’ll be fine…as long as…” Minghao responded rigidly, voice cracking from the dryness in his throat. “As long as… _Hwang Minhyun_ is still in love with him…Wonwoo won’t be harmed.”

The willowy Omega’s lips were split, and his face was deathly pale. Soonyoung noticed the dried up trails of tears on his cheeks as well, and when he looked down, the prince found dark blood caked all over Minghao’s robes.

_Junhui’s blood_.

“H-Hwang Minhyu-hyun…he’s…h-he’s the one who…w-who…” Soonyoung could hardly get the rest of the words out, before he started sobbing once again. All he felt inside was _guilt, guilt, guilt_. “M-Minghao…Minghao, I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!”

His Omega contemporary made no efforts to soothe him. “Sorry’s not going to bring him back,” he whispered acridly instead, curling his body against the bars of their prison cell.

“I didn’t m-mean for it to h-happen! I d-didn’t think Junhui o-or Mingyu w-would…would…”

Minghao furrowed his brows and weakly lifted his gaze. “Mingyu? What are talking about?”

Soonyoung had already turned into a sniffling and weeping mess in front of the willowy Omega, and he had to take big breaths of air just to form a proper sentence. “I stopped feeling him after they- After he t-tried t-t-to fight them and they…and they just-”

“Your dumb Alpha is still alive…” Minghao remarked dully. “It’s going to take a lot more than a little bit of water to kill the King of Gwangsan Kim.”

Just from that, the prince started bawling even harder.

“B-But if he’s alive…wh-where is he? Where is M-Mingyu? Why c-can’t I f-feel him?”

He knew Minghao wouldn’t lie to him, especially about their Alpha king.

But there was no doubt that Mingyu was in enemy hands.

Hwang Minhyun had Wonwoo, but Soonyoung couldn’t even stomach the thought of him holding Mingyu captive. The King of Gwangsan Kim could very well be in the hands of either Choi Minki or Fu Longfei, and it was too gruesome to think about who he’d actually be better off with.

As for Junhui…the prince could only hope that their foes had shown his friend’s body even the slightest bit of mercy.

“We have to get out of here, Minghao...”

Soonyoung couldn’t do this anymore. He couldn’t just keep crying and crying all the time.

His Alpha was out there somewhere, and he couldn’t just sit and wait for the worst to happen to Mingyu.

He wiped his tears on his sleeves and forced himself to calm his own sniveling down. “I need to see him, Minghao. It hurts too much. It’s too painful not to feel him.”

All his life, he’d allowed Alphas to rule over him and drag him around, telling him who to be and what to do.

Soonyoung was so tired of it all.

He was _so so tired_.

“Do you know where we are?” the Omega prince queried, crawling towards the door to their freedom. He tugged at it, and of course, it had been locked.

“No idea,” Minghao flatly answered, most likely thinking Soonyoung was pathetic as per usual.

The Kwon Omega inspected the area of the dungeon past their bars, searching for anything that could help them break out.

It was mostly empty and dark. There were no posts for keys, and there were no visible Alphas standing anywhere near their cell.

“There aren’t any guards watching us,” Soonyoung verbally noted.

“Probably because they think we’re just a couple of useless Omegas.”

Ah. Of course.

They weren’t in Firestorm Fortress anymore.

Alphas weren’t going to take them seriously here.

_Just like home in the Aster Province_ , Soonyoung irritably thought to himself.

“There has to be a way for us to escape.”

Minghao was probably slim enough to fit through the bars, but they would have to free him from the chains first.

“Do you think you have enough energy to stand?” the prince asked with as much as optimism as he could muster.

The willowy Omega wordlessly shrugged his shoulders.

“We need to find something to break the shackles.”

But there didn’t seem to be anything around them that could be of help.

It was terribly unfortunate that both he and Minghao weren’t strength-based fighters. If it had been Seungkwan and Seungcheol chained up like this, they would have crushed the chains their bare fists-

Hold on.

Crush the chains.

They could crush the chains!

The idea made Soonyoung’s eyes widen in cognizance, but before he could relay his thoughts to the other Omega, Minghao glared at him.

“You can do whatever you want, Soonyoung. I honestly don’t care.”

“But, Minghao, we need to escape. We need to find Mingyu and Wonwoo…and maybe we can even try to find Junhui’s bod-”

“I don’t care, Soonyoung!” the willowy Omega yelled out angrily. “You can find a way to escape by yourself! I don’t care about anything anymore!”

“Minghao, you know that Junhui wouldn’t want you to give up like this-”

“Junhui’s dead! He’s dead, Soonyoung, and he’s never coming back! So just leave me alone! Just let me die! Just let me rot here and die!” the Omega bawled out in anguish. He crumbled into a ball and wept uncontrollably right into the dirty ground, clutching tightly at his chest as if his heart would fall out at any moment.

The prince had never seen someone so weak and so broken before, and for that person to be Minghao - the Minghao who always knew what to do and how to be the better than everyone around him, Soonyoung had to wonder whether he himself could even still hope for a happy ending.

* * *

Jeonghan had lost track of how long he’d been pretending to be asleep.

He was parched and painstakingly hungry, and with a fever insidiously taking over his body, negative emotions and awful memories were starting to cloud his mind.

He tried his best to fight them, to stay calm, and to stick with his scheme…but even he was only but a mere human. Ever since he was young, he’d always had to remain strong for the sake of others. He’d always been the brave one, the smart one, the unwavering one…but there were times when even he felt scared of something.

He was worried about Firestorm Fortress, but his insides were being burned by his worry for Jisoo.

Jeonghan had been ignoring the truth for so long. He chose to ignore it for years, because Jisoo had been safe with him in Firestorm Fortress. But now that his mate was so far out of his immediate reach, the reality was taunting him to the point of madness.

Jisoo was going to die soon.

Whether or not he was in enemy hands, it was inevitable, and Jeonghan could never forget the day Jihoon had told him so.

_Mingyu had been right when he’d said Lee Jihoon was incredibly skillful._

_One look at Hong Jisoo, and the physician from Lisianthus Towers knew his mind had been shattered by something beyond traumatic. After an even more thorough examination, the doctor gave Jeonghan a detailed report on the Second Prince’s physical state, including all the damage done to the vital organs beneath his mutilated skin._

_In the following months, Jeonghan discovered that Jihoon was even smarter than they had expected, and though he was immensely grateful for the Omega’s help, he wished the physician could have learned how to be more gentle with his words._

_“Hong Jisoo may seem fine now, but…his body is still deteriorating,” Jihoon informed him candidly, maintaining a professional manner despite his perturbation in what he was about to share. “He’s never going to get better. Everyday...he’s only getting closer and closer to death. I can take some of the pain away, but there’s nothing else we can do to help him.”_

_The news was deeply upsetting, and Jeonghan had no fondness for this appalling veracity. “Stop it, Jihoon. Jisoo may not be himself right now, but his health has improved. His health is still improving, and he’s going to get better before you know it. Besides...he wouldn’t have survived what Oeseong Kwak did to him if he weren’t meant to live.”_

_“He did survive… It’s a miracle that he managed to survive…but…” the doctor bit his bottom lip and winced. “He may have been better off dead.”_

_Jeonghan slammed his teacup on the table and bared his teeth in warning._

_“Don’t you dare say that ever again!” the Alpha shouted right into Jihoon’s face. He wasn’t usually this harsh with Omegas, but he was livid and still in denial. No one was more important to him than the Second Prince of Namyang Hong, so he wasn’t ever going to tolerate anyone saying horrible things about him…no matter how true they were._

_“Jisoo is strong! It may take time, but I know he will recover! He’s going to live a full and happy life! He’s going to have all the children he’s always wanted! He’s going to-”_

_“Hyung! You’ve seen what they’d done to his body! You’ve seen all of it! He’s only going to feel pain until his heart stops beating, and it hurts me to know that I can’t do anything to fix that! I know you love him and you want to be with him, but I can’t lie to you about this. I can’t lie to him or to Mingyu, and I can’t pretend everything’s going to be alright when it’s not.”_

_“But why him?!” Jeonghan demanded to know, even though he knew Jihoon didn’t have the answer to that. “Why Jisoo?! Oeseong Kwak could have butchered his awful brothers! They could have carved up his sorry excuse for a father! Why did it have to be Jisoo?!”_

_His beloved Omega…_

_Would Jisoo really have been better off dead?_

_The Second Prince was going to bear the marks of a horrible Alpha for the rest of his life. He was going to suffer until his last dying breath._

_It wasn’t fair._

_It wasn’t right._

_“Jeonghan-hyung, there’s something else…”the physician continued warily._

_What else could there possibly be?_

_How much more painful could this situation become?_

_The Alpha grimaced. “Just get it over with, Jihoon.”_

_“I could be wrong. I could be going completely out of tangent here…” the doctor stated, his expression weighed down by a million devastating thoughts. “I think Kwak Youngmin had ruined the Baeghab Nation’s most treasured Omega as an act of vengeance, but I also think he tried to use Jisoo-hyung for the exact same reason he used Mingyu. Kwak Youngmin needed them to get something he wanted.”_

_“The Power of Fire,” Jeonghan divulged. He knew it was not a secret to those in Firestorm Fortress._

_“Right,” Jihoon concurred with a nod. “So now comes the question - what if Kwak Youngmin had been too impatient? He disposed of Bulgae’s body when he thought Mingyu had failed…what if he also falsely assumed Jisoo-hyung wouldn’t come back from the dead either?”_

_The Alpha grumbled in frustration. “You’re not making any sense! Kwak Youngmin left Jisoo to die in Osmanthus City, but thankfully, he’d been too stupid to finish the job. Mingyu found Jisoo alive after Oeseong Kwak went off to massacre everyone in the Baeghab Nation.”_

_“Because Kwak Youngmin didn’t know Jisoo-hyung had succeeded. He left thinking the Second Prince was dead. That’s why he had to keep looking for sacrifices after that.”_

_“Wait. Wait, what?!”_

_Jeonghan was hopelessly confused - a rarity in itself. He knew that Oeseong Kwak had been sacrificing people to obtain the Power of Fire. Mingyu had been the only lucky victim to survive the ordeal._

_“What are you talking about, Jihoon? How could Jisoo have succeeded if Mingyu was the one who’d attained the First Brother’s power?”_

_“I think Jisoo-hyung found something completely different…”_

_Something different?_

_A different power?_

_Slowly, the lights of dawn glimmered in Jeonghan’s widening eyes._

_Could this really be true?_

_Had Jisoo found another power in the High Kingdom?_

_Neither him nor Jihoon could be sure, because Jisoo was a mute and broken vessel right now. He wasn’t showing any hints of a power, if he even had it._

_But if he did…the Alpha would be in absolute awe._

_“My theory is that, whatever he found...it's what’s been keeping him alive all this time…” the physician shared, fiddling with the dried up lisianthus petals in hands. “…but it’s also what’s been bringing him closer and closer to death's door yet again…”_

_Again, nothing good and bright ever came without a darkness right beside it._

_“How can it be harming him and keeping him alive at the same time?” Jeonghan peevishly asked._

_“Mingyu has to burn things when he’s in a rut, right? If he doesn’t, he starts feeling ill. It could be the same for Jisoo-hyung. Whatever’s inside him needs to be released.”_

_The Alpha uncomfortably looked away for a moment. “Jisoo can’t go into heat anymore…”_

_He couldn’t mate or have children or even feel any sort of pleasurable touch ever again._

_Oeseong Kwak had made sure of that._

_“Maybe it doesn’t have to be a heat. Maybe we can find another way,” Jihoon indicated._

_“Will this help keep him from dying?”_

_“That is not guaranteed. It may help him, but it may also only prolong his agony,” the Omega doctor mentioned. “But like I said, hyung, this is only a theory. I could be wrong about all this.”_

_“Of course…” Jeonghan muttered disappointedly. “Please speak of this to no one until you are certain. If he truly has something our enemies desire, they will come after him.”_

_Firestorm Fortress wasn’t strong enough to win a war just yet. There was still so much he and Mingyu had to do._

_Jihoon bowed his head. “I understand, hyung.”_

Choi Minki must have eventually figured it out. He was much more shrewd compared to other Alpha allies, and he had likely hid the truth about Hong Jisoo from Kwak Youngmin in order to take the power for himself.

He’d just been waiting for the perfect time to strike.

Jeonghan clenched his fists and silenced the snarl that almost escaped his lips. He had to get to the Second Prince before it was too late.

He just needed Jisoo to hold out for as long as possible.

One last time.

Until Jeonghan could get to him.

If the Third Brother truly cared about his progeny, he would parlay with the other gods to grant Jeonghan more time.

Because there was something he had to do first…

The repugnant voice he’d been waiting to hear finally echoed through the halls, boisterously filling the dungeon with arrogant driveling...as if he’d already won this game.

“Time to wake up the mutt!” Choi Minki portentously announced to his guards. His casual footsteps padded along Jeonghan’s cell, and they only stopped once they’d reach the room at the end of the corridor.

The Alpha from the Moon Shadow Village smirked.

Choi Minki and his men had no idea what was coming.

Begonia Highland had no idea what kind of monster they’d allowed into their kingdom…

For the first time since he’d been thrown into the dungeon, Yoon Jeonghan opened his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know how you guys liked this chapter! I would love to hear your thoughts and theories, especially with what's going to happen to our beloved SVT characters. I tried explaining things as best as I could while hinting what was coming in the next chapter. Also, where do you guys think Minghao and Soonyoung are at right now? Where do you think Wonwoo's at? 
> 
> I'm kind of sad that the end is so close, but I hope I'm making it clear what kind of growth I've wanted for Soonyoung since I started Chapter 1. I really think I'm going to cry while writing the last chapter.
> 
> Also, some readers have asked if I will make a sequel to this, and I am very much open to it. If you guys have a plot in mind, I would love to hear your ideas! I kind of have one right now, but it might be a bit too crazy - like, some people might just pull their hairs out in frustration reading it XDDDDDDD
> 
> See you guys in the next chapter!
> 
> For Firestorm Fortress <3


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> Fallin' Flower orchestra version. LINK[ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBFu1E-yVwU ] for your enjoyment or for your tears' accompaniment

_Falling towards you, I want to see you right now. Someday, surely, you’d be in my heart._

_I am a flower…_

_I believe in letting beautiful flowers bloom._

_Gazing at the blue sky, blooming once again, I want to be someone’s everything._

_I’d lived for the moment,_

_but I knew that everything had a meaning once I met you._

_Between the time when flowers bloom and scatter, scars heal and sprouts emerge._

_We live for this moment, the first and last._

_That's why I won't take you for granted, because you love somebody like me…_

_I am a flower._

_I’m falling towards you now…_

_-Seventeen, Fallin’ Flower (2020)_

The King of Mount Magnolia looked like a colossal giant in the sea of Alpha men attempting to break into Gwangsan Kim’s fortress. As his pawns charged through the line, Kang Dongho sat tall on his noble stead, watching and waiting until their adversary's defenses were overpowered. He had enough men willing to sacrifice their lives so he could swoop in with ease once Firestorm Fortress could no longer keep their gates closed.

There was only one person he wished to destroy - the King of Gwangsan Kim.

The rest of his pathetic clan was for Kang Dongho’s men to kill.

He had no need for prisoners. He had no need for peace treaties. He was only there to take one thing back with him to Mount Magnolia.

Every man, woman, and child in Firestorm Fortress was going to be slaughtered under the colors of his regime. Theirs was a kingdom doomed to be wiped out in a single day. After this, the whole world would know Mount Magnolia and Kang Dongho’s name. Even the High Kingdom would know that he was the most powerful Alpha in all of existence.

He would make his father proud. His ancestors would cheer in exaltation from their graves, because finally, the Power of Fire would be with the House of Jinju Kang.

His other Alpha allies would no doubt turn to him as their new leader, and Kim Jonghyun would never call him incompetent ever again. The Carnation Kingdom would pale in comparison to Mount Magnolia, because even though the dark was chilling, no one ever wished to die by burning.

Kim Jonghyun was but a dark entity in the body of a human. Why did he have to be their leader? He didn’t even possess any of the Four Brothers’ powers.

Kang Dongho, on the other hand, would soon become a _god_ , and everyone worshipped and feared _gods_.

Hwang Minhyun had the Power of Earth, and Fu Longfei had the Power of Water. However, unlike those two, he was not deranged victim of unrequited love. He did not need such a contrivance, and therefore, he was sane and more adroit than they would ever be. He was the perfect candidate to overthrow Kim Jonghyun and become the adamantine ruler of all kingdoms below his mountain.

This was his childhood dream coming into reality.

This was his _destiny_.

But the siege was taking much longer than he’d expected.

Firestorm Fortress had a few too many tricks he and his counsel could have never anticipated.

Kim Mingyu’s soldiers were pouring scorching tar and oil over the Alphas trying to scale the fortress’s walls. They were throwing down burning wheels that set everything in their rolling paths ablaze. Even Gwangsan Kim’s archers were firing their arrows at deathly accuracy, piercing through the weak points in his men’s armor and shooting the horses right in between the eyes. Though Mount Magnolia had the upper-hand in terms of numbers, Firestorm Fortress was thoroughly playing to their advantage.

Perhaps he’d underestimated Kim Mingyu. He didn’t think the King of Gwangsan Kim knew much of warfare, considering he’d merely been a servant before he somehow stole the Power of Fire from right under Kwak Youngmin’s nose.

Still, Firestorm Fortress was a kingdom trapped in the desert. Their resources were scarce, and sooner or later, they were going to run out. The foreground of their fortress was surrounded by their enemies, and behind them, there was nothing but a wasteland to abscond through. There was no other recourse. They had to fight and accept death, because if they chose not to, they were only going to starve and perish under the harshness of the sun in a barren wilderness.

Either way, death and annihilation was coming for the Clan of Gwangsan Kim, and Kang Dongho was their great deliverer.

* * *

Like a wave at high tide, the enormous soldiers of Mount Magnolia repeatedly attacked the walls in immeasurable billows. For every warrior that was shot down, another would attempt to crawl up the vertical stone in his place.

They were slowly running out of supplies, and Kang Dongho’s men were right at the cusps of breaking through the gate.

Chan had hoped they would’ve eliminated half of Jinju Kang’s army by now. He’d hoped to keep Gwangsan Kim's losses at a minimum until they had to engage in combat, but that didn’t seem plausible anymore.

Many of the soldiers he’d trained with for years were going to die today.

Many of them were never going to see their families ever again.

Chan himself might never see his family again.

Soon, they would have no choice but to open the gates and take the fight inside the city, and no matter how many of them were going to perish, Chan had to make sure Firestorm Fortress would take the win.

As long as the Omega prince could kill Kang Dongho, it didn’t matter what happened to him after that.

“Your Highness!!! Mount Magnolia’s battering ram is about to destroy the gate!!!” the messenger cried out to him from the beneath stairs to the watch tower.

Before Chan could answer, a rumbling threw off his balance as a shower of giant stones - thrown by Jinju Kang’s trebuchets - collided with the walls. This had been the twelfth onslaught on their massive barricade. One more assault and the fortress’s walls were going to collapse.

They had to no choice but to open the entrance to the city. For their ultimate plan to succeed, they needed both the gates and the walls to still be standing, and none of them were going to survive a complete bombardment from the entire army all at once.

“All soldiers to the gates!!! Now!!!” the Omega prince commanded, and the messenger immediately ran off to spread the order.

* * *

The cold draft trapped in the dungeons was swirling around their tired bodies, whistling through the holes in the walls that secured their chains.

It felt as though the wind was reminding him of the outside world where he belonged.

He couldn’t stay here.

His place in life was beyond the four corners of this prison cell.

“Minghao…you can’t give up,” the Prince of the Aster Province miserably pleaded to his Omega companion. “ _We_ can’t give up. If we do…what was the point of you falling in love with Junhui and me falling in love with Mingyu? Why had we allowed ourselves to _want_ and _yearn_ and look forward to a beautiful future, if we were only going to give up in the middle of it all?”

Soonyoung was on his knees, clenching his fists against the dirty floor. He had been doing his best to invoke Minghao’s zealous spirit back to life, but none of his efforts was working.

The willowy Omega remained motionless and vacant against the metal bars, enervated after he’d ceaselessly wailed and bawled his eyes out for hours.

“If we just sit here and wait for death, everything we’ve done up to this point…all of it would have been for nothing…” Soonyoung murmured as he desolately stared at Minghao.

His own misery could never compare to Minghao’s agony. It wouldn't even be right to say he felt just as pained. Junhui was his dear friend, but he was Minghao's one true love. Soonyoung was mourning Junhui's death, while Minghao was living in a nightmare he could never awaken from.

The Omega prince had not intended for his Alpha friend to be murdered, but he still had a fault in the tragedy that had transpired.

Right now, this was the only way he could think of to make amends to Junhui - by making sure Minghao still kept the fight going, both against their enemies and against his own crippling emotions.

“I don’t want to die here. I don’t want Mingyu to die. I don’t want anyone else in our family to die. If I can do something…anything to help, I will do it. I have to. _We_ have to,” the prince muttered in despair.

Again, the heartbroken Omega offered him no snarky comment or hubristic response in return. He was close to a mirrored-image of Hong Jisoo when he’d been at his worst condition - a hollow shell with no light in his eyes, nothing like the haughty and confident Omega he used to be.

Junhui would be harrowed seeing his beloved mate like this.

So Soonyoung implored the willowy Omega yet again. “Minghao, I’m not leaving you here. I need you. I can’t do this without you…Please, don’t give up…”

Finally…Minghao parted his lips and feebly answered like a jaded ghost. “You’d be better off on your own. I’m a failure. I couldn’t protect Junhui. I couldn’t save him. I can’t do anything right…”

“Minghao, don’t say that-”

“ _All this time_ I thought I could be better than an Alpha…but in the end, I’m just a _stupid, helpless little Omega_. I shouldn’t have ever even _tried_ to be something other than that.”

“You’re not stupid, and you’re most definitely not helpless!” Soonyoung asserted, inching closer to the willowy Omega - who, in turn, irritably moved away as he approached. “You’re Xu Minghao - the Lieutenant General of Gwangsan Kim! You’re the strongest, most amazing Omega I know!”

Minghao scowled at him. “Well none of that matters right now, does it?! I’m a Lieutenant General stuck in a cage! What good am I to Gwangsan Kim like this?!”

_What good am I to Gwangsan Kim?_

The question sounded like something the Prince of Andong Kwon should have been asking, because what did Soonyoung have that was special? What did he have that could make Firestorm Fortress a more powerful nation?

Nothing.

He had no unique fighting skills or special powers. 

He had no political astute or strategic wits.

He had nothing but the love in his heart for Mingyu and all the people in their family.

But Xu Minghao?

The Omega from Sweet Autumn City had so much more to offer than Soonyoung ever will.

He had to open Minghao’s eyes again, to make him see what everyone else saw when they looked at Minghao everyday.

“You want to know what Mingyu once told me? About you?” the Kwon prince brought up with a small smile. “He told me if he ever had to fight a war with only one person by his side, he would pick you.”

Minghao choked on an obnoxious grunt that got stuck in his throat and started coughing uncontrollably.

“Minghao, are you alright?!”

The lanky Omega glared at the concerned prince as he attempted to keep his lungs inside his body. “W-What ki..kind of…b-bullshit is t-that?!”

The hypothetical scenario was absolutely ridiculous. If their Alpha king ever chose to fight a war with only one other person by his side and not an entire army, Minghao was going to watch him do it by himself and laugh at him from a safe distance away. Mingyu knew that. Why would the idiot even think to pick Minghao to die with him on this fictitious suicide mission?

“It’s true. Mingyu really did tell me that. You’re his most trusted friend. You were never _just an Omega_ to him. In fact, you were always an inspiration to him, because you never let your rank determine what you could or couldn’t do. You never let anything or anyone stop you from becoming the best. Mingyu really admired you for that.”

Of course. Why wouldn’t Mingyu admire him? Minghao had an impeccable fashion sense, and he was skilled in every way possible.

The willowy Omega frowned at that thought.

He had never told anyone this, but Minghao deeply admired Mingyu as well, and he only ever gave their king awful names to hide his own gross endearment towards the extraordinary Alpha.

He could still remember when he first came to Firestorm Fortress - Mingyu had told him something he never thought another Alpha besides Junhui would ever say to him.

_“You are skilled. You are smart. And above all, you have a loyal heart that knows only pure love. With just those three qualities, you are already so much more powerful than any rotten Alpha out there. Don’t ever forget that. Don’t ever forget that you are limitless.”_

Limitless.

Mingyu had called him that.

Soonyoung placed both his hands over Minghao’s and looked into the willowy Omega’s eyes with nothing but sincerity in his gaze. “So please don’t stop believing in yourself, Minghao. Don’t give up…because Mingyu believes in you. I believe in you…” 

Minghao peered back at the prince in awe.

This was him - the stubborn, gorgeous, and selfless person in front of him was indeed the one Kim Mingyu deserved to be with forever.

The Kim Mingyu who had saved Minghao from death when he could’ve easily turned a blind eye. Even though they spoke two different languages, he firmly believed Minghao and Junhui were two innocent people with beautiful hearts. He joyfully welcomed them into his clan without asking for anything in return.

The Alpha king had given Minghao his first sword and trained with him from dawn ’til dusk every single day for years. Mingyu had given him respect and freedom as if they were equals.

He allowed Minghao and Junhui to do as they pleased and never once tried to control them or their actions, and if they ever wished to leave Firestorm Fortress, the willowy Omega knew that Mingyu would have bid them a safe journey and would have happily welcomed them back with open arms if they ever wanted to return.

Minghao had never even thanked him for any of it…

He had to rectify that transgression.

Before he lost the chance to do so and regret it for the rest of his life…Minghao had to wrap his arms around Mingyu and thank him for everything.

“And in the end, even if we can’t have our own happy endings…maybe we can do something so others will…” Soonyoung selflessly stated, and the willowy Omega felt a warmth bloom inside his chest.

A happy ending…

A happy ending for others...

Minghao had already lost one person he loved.

He wasn’t going to lose anyone else that mattered to him.

Not while he could still fight for them.

“Thank you, Soonyoung…” he murmured lowly under his breath.

The prince rapidly blinked at the willowy Omega in bewilderment and asked, “I’m sorry… What did you just say?”

Minghao glowered at the Kwon Omega and huffed indignantly before pushing himself up onto feet. “I said, ‘grab the chains, Soonyoung.’ We’re getting out of here.”

* * *

Cold.

He felt viciously and inexplicably cold.

_“Do you know what a Bulgae is, child?”_

_"The Bulgae were created by the gods...to bring back new powers from different worlds into their dark kingdoms…”_

Bulgae.

That was what people used to call him.

_“I was born to be a god...and now, I've finally found my own dog.”_

_“Your name has sealed your destiny! Find power, Bulgae! And bring it back to me!”_

Why did he feel so damn cold?

_“Whose champion is this deformed monster?!”_

_“Mine…he is my Bulgae… He gets to keep whatever he can take.”_

Gamangnara.

That was the place he got his power from.

_“Hyung…I need to tell you something.”_

_“My real name…I remember it now… My real name is Kim Mingyu.”_

That’s right.

He was Kim Mingyu, the Clan Leader of Gwangsan Kim.

The Alpha king with the Power of Fire.

But…if he had that gift inside him…

Why was he so _cold_?

Mingyu’s eyes gradually opened, just as the sound of a rusty door closed shut and coaxed him further into a roused state. His limbs were immobile, and he was lying down on a raised, flat surface made of something rough.

Where was he?

Which enemy had held him captive?

Were his friends alright?

Was Soonyoung safe?

Or…had they all been abducted as well?

“Oh, Bulgae…” an unsettling voice said in the most despicable tone he’s ever heard. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this moment.”

It was Choi Minki.

If the Alpha king of Hwasun Choi had him, then he was most likely in Begonia Highland right now.

Had Jeonghan and Seokmin succeeded in rescuing Jisoo?

Mingyu could only hope that they had, because he couldn’t stomach anything worse after what had happened to Junhui.

He wished for time to mourn in peace, but Choi Minki was giving him no reprieve.

“You still go by Bulgae, don’t you? Because after this, you’ll go back to being nothing more than a common dog.” A sinister grin spread across the Alpha’s lips. “That is…if you survive what I’m about to do to you…”

Minki unfurled the whip in his hand, admiring the unknown material from which it had been fashioned from and the rose seal engraved into the handle. He had stumbled upon the treasure while rummaging through his late grandfather’s forgotten possessions. Minki could still remember how the former king used to flog him with it each time he lost a sword fight. It was unfortunate that the old man never discovered the whip’s true nature. But then who would have ever thought that this weapon could do more than inflict pain on young children? A mythical whip like this only seemed to exist in legends, and if Minki hadn’t set all of his grandfather’s belongings on fire and found the whip unscathed in the ashes left behind, he would have never uncovered its divine secret.

“You must feel so, so weak right now…after watching your friend die,” the Alpha king of Begonia Highland commented as he traced a finger under Mingyu’s jaw. “You’re practically glacial. Even your fire isn’t strong enough to warm your body in this ice-cold cell…but that’s alright, Bulgae. This will make the extraction so much easier for me.”

Minki chuckled minaciously, and Mingyu could only think of how Jeonghan would undoubtedly cringe upon hearing that kind of laughter.

“I must ask you this…” he stated once his abhorrent giggling had diffused. “How did it feel when you first gained the Power of Fire? Did it feel good? Did it feel better than anything else you’ve ever felt before? That’s how Minhyun-hyung had described it when he absorbed the Power of Earth.”

They were never going to stop.

All his enemies were never going to rest until they had the power inside him.

But none of them would ever truly understand what it was that made Mingyu strong.

“Forgive me for my endless ranting. You see, none of my family members ever believed in me. I had five older brothers, and they were always fighting each other to claim the throne. None of them ever bothered to pick a fight against me. My own father never even thought to choose me as his heir apparent. So instead of fighting them, I _outsmarted them_ , and now, they’re all dead. As for me - the runt of our family, frail little Minki - I’m now the Alpha king of Hwasun Choi.”

If Choi Minki had been raised with love…if his family had shown him affection and patience, would he have still ended up like this?

No, Mingyu couldn’t blame Minki’s family, because Hong Jisoo and Kwon Soonyoung had grown to become angels, even though their families were deplorable.

This dark path had solely been Minki’s decision to take.

“Of course, that wasn’t enough. Why stop there when I could have so much more? Right, Bulgae?”

Minki positioned a mask over Mingyu’s face, just as Kwak Youngmin had done before he’d been offered as a sacrifice. The action made Mingyu’s heart race, and an overwhelming feeling of anxiety caused his breath to hitch.

“Kwak Youngmin was a fool,” the Begonia Highland Alpha remarked. “He didn’t know how to wait. Luckily, I do. We can get this over with now or we can do this all day long, Bulgae. No one’s coming to help you. None of your allies are strong enough to defeat me.”

That wasn’t true.

His friends might not have possessed powers like Mingyu’s, but they still had special gifts harnessed from their own worldly strengths.

Their enemies would never know what truly made a person formidable.

It was not power or rank.

It wasn’t even a weapon or a position up above.

It was _love_.

True love.

Mingyu loved his family.

He loved Seungcheol, Jeonghan, Jisoo, Junhui, Wonwoo, Jihoon, Minghao, Seokmin, Seungkwan, Hansol, Chan…and Soonyoung more than anything else in the world...and they loved him as well.

_That_ was what made Gwangsan Kim strong.

Minki cracked the whip in his hands. “So what’ll it be? Will you surrender the Power of Fire to me now? Or will I have to force it out of your dying body?”

“Go to hell, you scum,” Mingyu uttered defiantly.

“Alright, torture it is then.”

The Alpha king raised his weapon. The electricity it discharged sizzled and cracked around the long expanse of the whip, and without a beat of hesitation or compassion, Minki struck the knout directly at Mingyu’s chest.

* * *

The black gates of Firestorm Fortress were opened before the battering ram could destroy the metal doors, and Mount Magnolia’s men percolated into the city like water spurting out of a broken dam.

The result was a horrendous clash of purple-black and white-gold.

Soldiers were swinging swords and stabbing each other left and right, and the rattling mixture of colors was soon doused and dominated by the sickening color of red.

There had not been this much blood during their fight against Oeseong Kwak, and it didn’t seem like the bloodshed was going to stop anytime soon.

Gwangsan Kim was valiantly holding a stalwart front against the massive numbers of Jinju Kang. Their soldiers had been taught well in terms of combat, but there was also a limit to how many people they could fight before exhaustion gradually took over their forms.

Less than an hour into the battle, Chan was already beginning to feel the effects of lassitude as he continuously struck enemy soldiers down one right after the other. Jeonghan had not spoiled him once during their extended training sessions, so the Omega prince was aware of how strenuous it was to skirmish against an Alpha.

He just never knew…until this very moment, how painful and how incapacitating it was to get slashed multiple times.

Chan hadn’t been maimed anywhere vital, but there was a significant amount of blood soaking through his robes - enough to make him start feeling dizzy.

He had to get to Kang Dongho now and defeat him before he lost too much blood.

The prince ran farther into the epicenter of the battle, searching for the exuberant colors of the Alpha king’s unmistakable armor. After stabbing his way through the Mount Magnolia soldiers blocking his path, Chan eventually found the man he was looking for.

He wiped at the blood dripping on his forehead and clutched his sword tight.

Kang Dongho had lay waste to a barrage of Firestorm Fortress soldiers fending him off. They’d all been mercilessly killed and thrown off to the side, only to be trampled on by the influx of soldiers making their way deeper into the fight.

The mammoth of a leader spotted Chan from just meters away, and the two held each other’s hostile gazes in concurrence.

Finally, the Omega Prince of Gwangsan Kim had come face to face with the monstrous Alpha King of Jinju Kang.

They were the two main players of the face-off between Firestorm Fortress and Mount Magnolia, and this was now a fight to the death.

“Is your king really that afraid of me? So much so that he would send his _Omega bitch_ to fight me instead?” Kang Dongho spoke savagely.

Compared to the prince’s smaller frame, the Alpha almost seemed like a mountain with his intimidating height and broad physique. If Chan didn’t stay cautious, Kang Dongho could easily crush his head with a single stomp of his foot.

“I am the son of King Mingyu. My name is Chan, and I am the Prince of Firestorm Fortress,” Chan held his ground and answered with a ferocious snarl. “The only _bitch_ I see here is _you_ , _Dongho_.”

As expected, the Alpha did not like his response, and he was immediately riled up by the balatant disrespect a _lowly Omega_ had shown him. “Where is your king?! Bring him to me or I will find him myself and deliver your head to him on a stake!!!”

Chan flicked the blood off of his sword and took a defense stance against Kang Dongho. “I’d like to see you try.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three more chapters to go, you guys! Thank you again for all the comments, kudos, twitter messages, subscriptions, and bookmarks you all gave me! Please do let me know what you guys think of this update! I love interacting with everyone you shares their feelings and thoughts <3333333
> 
> Here's some things to look forward to next week -   
> 1.) Chan vs. Dongho  
> 2.) Gwangsan Kim's "ultimate plan"  
> 3.) Jihoon and the hounds  
> 4.) Soonyoung and Minghao's chain dance (LOL just like from the Fallin' Flower MV XDDD)  
> 5.) Mingyu vs. Minki vs. y'all already know who ;)  
> 6.) Finding Jisoo  
> 7.) Finding Wonwoo  
> 8.) (Maybe not next week but the next one after) The epic final battle and conclusion to Bulgae TT^TT
> 
> See you guys in the next update! <3


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More music for your reading pleasure. This time, it's epic instrumental music to match the vibe of this chapter  
> LINK: [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVqE_OPzN6c&t=2549s ]
> 
> ENJOOOOOYYYYYYY

_Falling towards you, I want to see you right now. Someday, surely, you’d be in my heart._

_I am a flower…_

_I believe in letting beautiful flowers bloom._

_Gazing at the blue sky, blooming once again, I want to be someone’s everything._

_I’d lived for the moment,_

_but I knew that everything had a meaning once I met you._

_Between the time when flowers bloom and scatter, scars heal and sprouts emerge._

_We live for this moment, the first and last._

_That's why I won't take you for granted, because you love somebody like me…_

_I am a flower._

_I’m falling towards you now…_

_-Seventeen, Fallin’ Flower (2020)_

The Omega prince of Firestorm Fortress fell to the ground, wincing from his collision against the hard earth. He rolled away just in time to avoid the heavy swing of Kang Dongho’s sword, saving himself from a blow that would have brought his demise.

He scrambled to his feet and charged at the massive Alpha once more, landing offensive strikes at different angles as quickly as he could. His muscles were aching, and he was getting dizzier and dizzier as the minutes passed, but he had to keep going.

If he could just get an opening - just one chance to get the right hit on Kang Dongho, Chan knew he could defeat the king and silence him forever.

However, the Mount Magnolia’s leader easily blocked each assault that came from the Omega prince’s sword, and he had suffered near little damage compared to Chan.

Kang Dongho had an enormous strength and his weapon strokes were heavy enough to throw Chan off-balance each time he swung his sword.

The only thing the Omega prince had a leverage in was speed. He was small and lithe enough, and he still had enough energy within him to move faster…but his armor was weighing him down.

He jumped backwards before another one of Dongho’s blows could touch him, and he swiftly unclasped the metal plates protecting his chest, arms, and thighs.

What he was doing was absolute insanity…

But he needed to move faster. He needed to finish this _now_.

He was going to make sure this risk would be worth taking.

“You’ve clearly lost your mind!” Dongho exclaimed, sneering demonicly as he taunted the Omega prince. “I didn’t realize you were so eager to die by my hand!”

“If I die…you’re dying with me…” Chan jeered, before scurrying back into their playing field and swinging his sword with more dexterity this time around.

He moved the way his fathers had taught him. The technique he’d been developing was an amalgamation of both Jeonghan and Mingyu’s fighting styles, and mimicking their moves made him feel like the two Alphas were there with him right now.

They were cheering him on and guiding his every step.

_Keep it up, Chan!_

_Counterattack!_

_Swing harder this time!_

_Aim lower! Dongho can’t reach you down there!_

_Watch your right! Don’t let him catch you by surprise!_

Chan adeptly maneuvered his body out of Dongho’s impaling move, and the Alpha hadn’t expected him to change his sword hand after that.

The prince flipped his weapon into his left palm, and with a sharp swing, he managed to break apart the king’s protective helmet and slice down the entire right side of his face.

Blood gushed out of Dongho’s wound, and he staggered backwards while roaring out in pain.

Chan took this opportunity to grab hold of the Alpha’s middle and knock him to the ground. The king attempted to strike at the Omega, but the prince seizedand twisted Dongho’s right arm, jabbed him in the face, and discarded the weapon far away from the Alpha’s grasp.

The king grabbed hold of Chan’s hair and pulled him off, throwing his body to the other side as if he were an empty sack of rice. He punched the Omega right in the stomach, knocking the wind out of Chan and making him spit out blood.

Dongho got up onto his feet and growled, “You think you’re special, Omega? Just because you know how to play with a sword, you think you can defeat me???”

Chan sat up, protectively covering his bruised insides and panting wildly as he forced himself to breathe.

The Alpha grabbed him by the collar and, once again, hurled his lissom body harshly against the solid ground.

Upon impact, Chan heard something crack, and he gasped at the harrowing pain that shot up the left side of his upper body. He tried to get back up without delay, but the pain restricted all sudden movements and forced him to coil into himself and stay low on the blood-stained earth.

“You’re just like every other Omega out there. _Weak, inferior, and insignificant_.”

The prince desperately tried to crawl away backwards as the Alpha king stalked over to him, but Dongho managed to him grab him by the neck. He lifted Chan off the ground and, at an arm’s distance, held him high enough so their eyes would meet.

“Let me give you the lesson your pathetic father should’ve taught you a long time ago,” the Alpha from Mount Magnolia balefully spoke as the prince wriggled and snarled in his rigid hold. “ _Omegas are only worth something when they’re lying on their backs. You will never be good for anything else besides breeding and birthing. No Alpha will ever care about you. No Alpha will ever want you. No Alpha will ever love you._ ”

Chan had always known he’d been fortunate enough that Kim Mingyu had found him. If he’d been adopted by another Alpha, in another kingdom, he would have grown up thinking what Kang Dongho had said was true.

“Y-You’re wrong…you’re s-so stupidly wro-wrong…” he shakily responded, nails digging into the hand crushing his throat.

Dongho’s grip became even tighter. “What the hell did you just say to me?!”

Mount Magnolia was a horrid place, and if Kang Dongho had been brought up properly, he would have known better than to underestimate Omegas, especially the ones living and thriving in Firestorm Fortress.

“I f-feel so bad for y-you.”

He wasn’t taunting Dongho. Chan really did pity the Alpha king.

Even in the face of impending death, the Prince of Gwangsan Kim was still so much more fortunate than Kang Dongho would ever be.

“And why would _an Omega like you_ feel bad for _an Alpha like me_?!”

The prince could hardly breathe now, but he forced himself to keep talking, because the leader of Jinju Kang had a very important lesson to learn as well.

“Be…cause y-you’re a-all alone... you're...u-unloved…,” Chan stuttered as his bloody lips curled at the corners. “ _And I...am...not!_ ”

He looked past Dongho’s face and right into the horizon, where the setting sun was shining bright in the red and orange sky.

But his attention had not been captured by the eventide.

The king turned around to see what the Omega was gazing at, and he instinctively glared at the figure slowly approaching them.

A rugged Alpha forebodingly sauntered closer and closer, and his unnerving aura was frightening enough to stop the Mount Magnolia soldiers from attacking him and blocking his way.

His footsteps halted once he’d closed the distance between them, and he fearlessly leered back the Alpha king and plunged his sword into the dirt. “No weapons. You and me. _Right now._ ”

Dongho had seen the way his men had flinched at this Alpha, and he felt an interminable wrath seer through his veins.

He thoughtlessly dropped Chan, right as the prince was about to lose consciousness, and loomed over his new contender.

“And just who do you think _you_ are to challenge _me_ to a fight?”

“I’m Choi Seungcheol,” he answered ominously. “And I’m the Alpha of your worst nightmares.”

Two Alphas were immediately locked into an all-out brawl. They clawed, punched, kicked, and bit each other like two animals in the wild battling for dominance, and neither of them were willing to back down.

The sound of bones snapping and skin tearing echoed deafeningly through Chan’s ears. He’d never seen Alphas go at each other like this before, and it was horrifying to watch.

There was so much blood and gnashing teeth and no time for either Alpha to feel pain. Their rapid pummeling and thrashing made everything almost too blurry for the prince to fully comprehend.

As he slowly regained focus and steady breathing, Chan struggled to force himself back onto his feet, and when he finally did, his eyes snapped open - completely shocked at the sight before him.

Both Alphas were drenched in scarlet and riddled with all kinds of injuries, but only one was the clear and obvious victor.

Seungcheol had broken both of Dongho’s arms, and so he firmly grasped the kneeling king’s elbows from behind, before ruthlessly stomping his foot right into the Alpha’s spine.

The ugly sound of Dongho’s back breaking was soon followed by his body falling forward and hanging limp in Seungcheol’s hold.

They were both a mess of blood, dirt, and torn clothing, but the fight was over, and the superior Alpha had won.

Dongho was still alive, but he could no longer move anything below his clavicles. He was growling and salivating like an unhinged beast, cursing at Seungcheol for paralyzing him in the most humiliating way.

“You’ll pay for this!!! You’ll all pay for this!!!” the king uselessly shouted. He was no all bark and no bite, because soon, he would never be able to move again. “I am the King of Mount Magnolia!!! My reign will never end!!! I will kill you! I will kill all of you!!!”

“Chan,” Seungcheol said, motioning his head once in the Omega’s direction.

The prince retrieved his sword and secured the hilt with both hands, before gingerly hobbling his way toward the two Alphas.

“Get away from me!” Dongho cried out once he realized what Chan was about to do. “Get away from me, you Omega whore!”

He raised his sword, and before he could feel sorry for the Alpha, he aimed at the middle point on the back of Kang Dongho’s neck and swung downwards.

With a brisk strike and a second later, the screaming stopped.

A gruesome thud against the earth’s surface marked the end of a long and brutal dynasty, but it also heralded the victory of a new generation.

“Hyung…”

Chan stumbled backwards, succumbing to the exhaustion that overtook his body, and Seungcheol had been quick enough to catch the prince in his arms.

“Chan?! Chan! Stay with me!”

“Hyung…we have to keep going…”

The Alpha King of Mount Magnolia had been defeated…but Chan couldn’t happily smile just yet…

Because the war was still raging on.

Firestorm Fortress’s soldiers were still battling against Jinju Kang’s enormous army.

Death was still all around them.

The Omega prince still wanted to continue fighting alongside his men, but he had already lost too much blood, and his body was on the verge of shutting down. “There’s…too many… What are we…going to do…hyung?”

“All of Mount Magnolia’s troops are in the city. We’re ending this once and for all _,_ ” Seungcheol said as he cradled Chan’s head against his chest.

“But…how? The hounds are-”

“Don’t worry about the hounds, Chan,” the Alpha reassured him with a soft smile. “…He’s already here with them.”

“Who…is?”

“Lee Jihoon.”

Chan turned his head to the side, and he witnessed the magnificent sight of the Omega physician riding into battle on top of the Mother Hound. With him, Gwangsan Kim’s entire pack of fire hounds came sprinting across the combat zone, knocking down enemy soldiers and biting out chunks of body parts as they ran.

“Close the gates!!!” Jihoon roared at the gatekeepers defending their posts. “Close the gates now!!!”

The thick ropes holding them open were chopped off with axes, and the screeching metal gates were shut tight.

No one was getting out now.

“Retreat!!!” Seungcheol’s order followed, and the soldiers began collecting their fallen brothers and running back to the palace grounds.

By the time the medics arrived, Chan was already knocked out cold. Seungcheol entered the caravan with him but not before taking one last, longing look at Jihoon.

“We’re counting on you…” Seungcheol whispered solemnly, closing the curtains as he and Chan were rushed out of the battlefield.

* * *

Jihoon had no idea what he was doing.

But the fire hounds sure did.

They were maneuvering around the lines and barreling together as if Mingyu or Junhui was right there commanding them.

It was all thanks to the Mother Hound - the exact same one who’d tried to burn off Jihoon’s hand once. She was their Alpha, and with her directives, the other adult hounds and their horde of oversized puppies quickly assimilated into the battlefield, aiding even the most vulnerable Gwangsan Kim soldiers cornered by multiple enemies.

Jinju Kang’s men soon began focusing their efforts on taking down the puppies, and that gave Firestorm Fortress’s soldiers a chance to run into the walls’ refuge. They squeezed into compartments lockable from the inside, and their enemies were too busy dealing with the hounds to notice the mass escape movement.

Many of the Mount Magnolia Alphas had ran away in fear and attempted to flee out the gates, but two of the hounds were guarding the exit and sinking their jaws into anyone who tried to leave.

Jihoon and the Mother Hound circled through the entire city, making sure the remaining Gwangsan Kim soldiers were out of the combat zone and inside the walls. They made another round to check whether all the fire hounds were in their proper positions. Most of them were. 

Except one.

But the physician couldn't dwell upon what happened to that pup. It would hurt too much to even guess. 

Besides the missing hound, everything else was set in place.

Firestorm Fortress’s soldiers, Chan, and Seungcheol were all either safe behind the walls or back inside the palace.

“Mama, it’s time…” Jihoon declared to his battle companion.

The Mother Hound grunted at him, and though he couldn’t understand her language, the physician could hear the disdain in her voice.

He caressed the top of the pack leader’s head and replied, “Yes, mama. I’m sure. This is it for me.”

She made a whining sound but followed through with their plan.

The mother of the hounds released a blood-curdling howl into the open sky, and the rest of the pack howled in response from where they stood.

They were all ready.

Jihoon was ready.

It was kind of funny to think about, but he’d always thought he was going to die from drinking too much.

Who would have ever guessed that he would die burning- no, _fighting_ to save an entire nation from one of the most atrocious empires to have ever existed…

It was going to be painful - Jihoon knew that for sure.

But he was glad the gods had granted him a much nobler way to die.

He was happy to lay down his life for the family he loved. 

The Mother Hound ran towards the center of the city - where most of the damage of their plan would be originating from.

Once they were there, Jihoon brought out an orb hidden inside his robes. He hadn’t taken the special armor with him, because it was too heavy, and it wouldn’t fit over his short figure properly.

He’d always wondered why Junhui was fireproof. The easygoing Alpha never really knew why he was impervious to fire either, so the two of them had vowed to find an answer to the mystery together someday.

Sadly, Jihoon wasn’t going to be there to fulfill the promise they made.

With one last sigh of forbearance, the physician closed his eyes. He raised the orb high above his head and whispered, “For Firestorm Fortress,” before shattering the spherical object with his hand.

A flash of light erupted from the city’s epicenter.

All at once, the Gwangsan Kim hounds ignited into flames, and the entire city was consumed by an explosive maelstrom.

* * *

The smoke was slowly dispersing, but in its place, the heavens were in full gloom, snowing ashes from the grey skies.

Everything within the walls of Firestorm Fortress had been burnt to the ground. Nothing but the hounds had survived.

Every last one of Mount Magnolia's soldiers had been annihilated by the infernal blast.

The men of Gwangsan Kim - most of whom had been hiding in the protection of the walls - however, were steadily making their way back to the palace through the secret passageways underground.

Seungcheol sat atop the staircase above the precinct, silently staring at the devastation before him. The last of the fire hounds were almost at the palace gates.

No one else was out there.

“Hyung!” a voice cried out from behind him.

He weakly looked over his slumped shoulders and found an Alpha and Omega pair running towards him.

It was Hansol and Seungkwan.

“Thank goodness you’re alright!” the garrulous Omega shouted, before wrapping his arms around the exhausted Alpha.

“What are you two doing here?” Seungcheol asked.

“We brought everyone to the sanctuary in the mountains, but we had to come back,” Hansol fretfully stated. “We had to make sure you, Chan, and Jihoon-hyung were okay. Especially after that firestorm.”

“Where is Chan?” Seungkwan queried after releasing their embrace.

“I’m here, hyung.”

They turned to where the prince was shuffling closer to them, having been stirred awake from inside the medical hut by Seungkwan’s loud voice.

“You should still be resting,” Seungcheol stated in concern, raising himself off the steps he was sitting on and tugging Seungkwan up with him.

Chan shook his head. “I feel a lot better now. Thank you, hyung…for helping me.”

The Alpha from Cattleya Farms smiled bittersweetly. “If it hadn’t been for Jihoon, I might have been too late…”

“Where _is_ Jihoon-hyung?” Hansol asked, glancing around for any sign of the physician.

But the last of the hounds were back, and the secret passageways were being closed up again.

Not a single person was roaming the empty and barren city…

…and the Omega doctor was nowhere to be seen.

Seungcheol despondently lowered his gaze. “He…he told me he knew what to do…”

“Hyung, please don’t tell me he-” Chan bit his lower lip, heart sinking as he held back a treacherous whimper.

It couldn’t be.

_Just no._

No.

Not Jihoon.

_Not Jihoon._

“H-Hyung…Seung…S-Seungcheol-hyung, where is he?” Seungkwan stuttered, eyes watering as he voice got rougher and louder. “Wh-Where is Jihoon-hyung?!”

“Seungkwan,” Hansol called out to his mate, pulling him into a comforting hug.As his mate cried into his chest, the pacifist Alpha sorrowfully turned to the eldest member of their family. “Was he the one who…led the hounds?”

Seungcheol stifled a sob before nodding tersely.

“It…It should’ve b-been me…I was the one who should’ve di-” Chan trembled as he sniveled and repeatedly wiped his eyes with his sleeve. “Ji-Jihoon-hyung…h-he sh-should’ve stayed behind…he couldn’t be…he couldn’t be dea- I can’t…I can’t…it should’ve been m-me…”

“Chan, don’t do this to yourself,” Seungcheol entreated to the Omega prince, voice pained and worn out. “This was all my fault. Not yours…”

Hansol tugged the youngest into his hug with Seungkwan, and the two Omegas wiped at each other’s tears.

Seungcheol guiltily turned away from them and stared down at the precinct once more.

The Mother Hound was nudging at one of the puppies with her snout, and the massive baby hound stubbornly whined at her insistent prodding.

It wasn’t until she started angrily growling at him that the puppy finally lowered his head in fear and began forcefully heaving into the ground.

The Alpha scurried down the steps in alarm. The puppy was fine just seconds ago.

What had the poor thing eaten that he wasn’t supposed to?

Something emerged from the baby hound's unhinged jaws. It fell to the ground and unraveled itself from the thick goo of saliva that had also come from inside the dog.

When Seungcheol finally saw what - or rather, who it was that emerged from the slobbery mess, the Alpha immediately fell to his knees and began weeping hysterically.

“Lee Jihoon!!!” he cried, lifting the Omega physician from the floor and cradling him against his body. “I’m never letting you go! I’m never letting you leave my side ever again!!!”

The three youngest members of the clan scampered right into the scene, circling around Seungcheol and the doctor in his embrace.

“Jihoon-hyung!!!” Chan wailed in both shock and happiness.

Seungkwan, who could barely see from all the tears blurring his vision, easily recognized the outline of the physician’s small stature and bawled even harder. “You’re alive!!! Oh, thank goodness! Oh, Jihoon-hyung!”

“The pup must have swallowed him before the explosion!” Hansol surmised, completely relieved and thankful to the gods as tears quietly stained his cheeks.

Jihoon, however, was still a bit out of it. He squinted up at Seungcheol’s face and asked, “Why am I wet?”

The four simply laughed at his remark, and that only confused him even more. “Are we all in heaven?”

“No, Jihoon, we did it…” Seungcheol announced. “We won. Gwangsan Kim won.”

Despite still being stuck in a daze, the doctor softly smiled at the stupendous news. “Then…I can…finally tell you…”

“Oh my gosh! Guys, it’s happening! It’s happening! My heart isn’t ready for this!” Seungkwan shrieked, grabbing onto Hansol and Chan’s hands for emotional support.

Even if Seungcheol asked them for a moment of privacy right now, none of them were going anywhere, because Lee Jihoon from Lisianthus Towers - the most brilliant doctor of their age - was finally going to confess his true feelings after all these years!

“I…I…” the Omega stammered, face flushing more and more as the seconds went by.

Everyone held their breaths in anticipation.

This was going to be one for the history books.

No one was going to forget this joyous occasion, and it was going to be remembered for many centuries to come.

“Cheol, I’ve always…” Jihoon, now just as red as a tomato, uttered shyly to the Alpha embracing him. “…wanted five kids. Would you like to…help me make them?”

Seungkwan released Hansol and Chan’s hands, completely disappointed by the anti-climatic confession.

Why did Jihoon-hyung have to be such a horny bastard? Had it really been too much for them to expect more from him?

But in all honesty, Seungkwan wasn’t entirely mad.

None of them were, not even Seungcheol.

Jihoon’s unbosoming was close enough to the real deal.

“Of course I would,” Seungcheol gladly agreed, before meeting Jihoon’s lips in a long-awaited kiss.

* * *

They weren’t strong enough to crush the chains with their bare hands, but Minghao had different idea for them to try.

It was a like dance.

They twisted the chains around their nimble bodies and haled forward with all their might.

Slowly but surely, the walls were giving in.

As the cracks grew and slithered down towards the ground, the whistling of the wind echoed louder and harder.

Dirt and dust was flying everywhere. The skin on their limbs and torsos was becoming red and raw from the strain, but the two Omegas were relentless with their dance.

After one last entanglement, where they both twisted around each other and simultaneously pulled at the chains, the prison walls came crumbling down.

When the dust had settled and the chains had been untangled, Minghao and Soonyoung looked past the debris and found a familiar face they had not at all expected to see - a person who’d been here this entire time, hidden in an adjacent room within the dungeon.

* * *

“Help…please help me, kind sir,” Jeonghan dramatically keened as he held his hand out through the bars of his jail cell. He was lying on the floor, splayed pitifully like a lowly pauper on the brink of death, and using the last bit of his vigor to beg for sustenance. “I am so frail…so weak and hungry…please…spare me a piece of lamb…or even beef. I’m not picky.”

He swore he could have become a famous thespian if he hadn’t become a guard for the Baeghab Nation’s Royal Family.

The Alpha guard in charge of watching him snorted in disgust and swatted Jeonghan’s hand away. He certainly hadn’t anticipated the imprisoned Alpha to catch his sleeve and sharply drag him downwards. The guard fell onto his face, and Jeonghan quickly jerked him by the collar and slammed his head against the bars. The impact was hard enough to make the guard see stars. He tried to get up, but Jeonghan still had a firm grip on his clothes. The imprisoned Alpha repeatedly rammed the guard’s head against the bars, refusing to stop until he lost consciousness and all of his erratic movements ceased.

Jeonghan rolled his eyes.

That had been way too easy.

Either that, or he really did have supernatural luck.

But that would be way too absurd, even for him.

Begonia Highland’s troops needed better training than this. Thank goodness he hadn’t become part of this clan.

The cunning Alpha urgently patted around the guard’s robes for a set of keys, and he successfully retrieved it from inside the man’s waist band.

There was a different key for each cell, so Jeonghan kept jamming one right after the other into his door’s lock. After going through five, he finally found one that fit perfectly, and the satisfying sound of an unlocking click almost made Jeonghan cry.

He triumphantly burst out of his cell, just in time to greet the other two guards who’d been making their rounds.

Before they could detain him once more, Jeonghan picked up the unconscious guard’s beating cane and went on a rampage. With so much adrenaline pumping through his body, he was practically unstoppable, even with two Alphas against one. He fought them off like a wild savage who’d been forced into captive for years.

He managed to strike at them and beat them senseless without getting injured himself, and once his frenzy had died down, both of the Alpha guards blacked out from the wounds Jeonghan inflicted upon them.

“Hyung, you’re so amazing!” he heard an excited voice comment with pure awe.

He sharply turned to his right and paused at the sight in disbelief.

It was Seokmin, casually watching the scene that had just unfolded from the comfort of his own jail cell…happily munching on a bag of peanuts.

“Where the hell did you get those?! They didn't give me any peanuts!” Jeonghan groused, before swiftly unlocking the door for his Beta companion.

“I found them on the floor,” Seokmin merrily explained, crumbling the empty bag and throwing it over his shoulder. “So what’s the plan, hyung?”

A horrifying cry of pain echoed through the dungeons.

Jeonghan stilled and grievously stared at the direction where the scream had come from.

“That’s Mingyu…” he stated worriedly. “Choi Minki’s trying to take his power.”

“We have to help Mingyu,” Seokmin spoke, expression dismayed by what they were both hearing.

The Alpha nodded. “I’ll deal with Minki. I need you to do something else for me, Seokmin.”

“Anything you need, hyung.”

“Take this.” Jeonghan placed the set of keys on top of the Beta’s palms. “Search all the cells, and try to find the Second Prince. We need to rescue both him and Mingyu.”

“I’m on it, hyung!” Seokmin replied determinedly, before trotting away to carry out his important task.

The cunning Alpha then proceeded to the end of the hall where Mingyu and Minki were.

His brows knitted together as he stayed mum. No matter how much it pained him to hear his Alpha king’s bellows of pain, Jeonghan couldn’t just jump in there if he wanted to catch Minki off-guard.

“ _Give me your power! I said give it to me!!!_ ”

Jeonghan bared his teeth in anger.

How many more of his loved ones were their enemies going to hurt?

All this death, pain, and suffering for slivers of power from the gods.

This had to be stopped or else there would be no ending to this madness.

He sneakily peeked into the open doorway.

Minki had his back turned, battering Mingyu’s trembling body with the whip in his hand, and Jeonghan could see the torment on his dear friend’s face with perfect clarity.

“ _You’re just a damn mutt! You’re lower than the dirt I walk on!!! You don’t deserve this kind of power!!! You don’t deserve to hold the power of the gods!!!_ ”

Jeonghan snarled.

To hell with it all.

Never again.

He was never letting Minki hurt another person he loved ever again.

He stormed into the room and shouted, “Shut the hell up, you son of a bitch!!!”

The Alpha king of Begonia Highland briskly turned around in shock, and Jeonghan bashed him on the side of the head with the guard’s beating cane.

Minki immediately lost consciousness and fell to the ground, blood oozing out of his head wound. 

Jeonghan threw the cane to the side and hurriedly unfastened the chains around his friend’s wrists and ankles. “Mingyu?! Are you alright?!!! Say something!!!”

“H-Hyung…?” he murmured, struggling to form words as his eyes refused to stay open. Mingyu was going in and out of cognizance. His nerves were fried, and his skin was still searing and stinging from the pain his body had been subjected to.

“Mingyu, oh thank goodness,” Jeonghan said with teary eyes and a crack of a smile at his lips. Here they were again, in another pitiful reunion. “We’re leaving this place. Come on…”

“Hyung…I’m sorry…”

The cunning Alpha placed a hand on Mingyu’s cheek. Why did his skin feel so cold? He’d never felt Mingyu this cold. “You giant baby. What are you apologizing for this time?”

“I’m…a terrible king…”

Jeonghan scowled and pulled Mingyu off of the slab he was lying on. “Stop it with that nonsense! Are you really letting what Minki said get to your heard?!”

Mingyu’s body shook as he struggled to sit upright. He leaned onto his friend’s shoulder, cringing from the excruciating trauma on his torso. “I…couldn’t stop them…from killing…Junhui-hyung…”

A sharp feeling in Jeonghan’s heart made him grimace, forcing him to pause abruptly. He felt all the blood in his body drain down towards his feet. The feeling of despair was something he never wished to experience again, but it certainly loved to ambush during the most precarious moments in his life.

“Well, now you have to make sure they don’t kill anyone else…”

He placed Mingyu’s arm over his shoulders and lifted him onto his feet. Together, with one careful step at a time, they trudged towards the open doorway.

“You’re our king, and we’ll always be here for you. ’Til the very end, remember? We all made a promise. I made a promise. I love you, Mingyu. Jisoo and I both love you so much.”

“I love you too, hyung,” Mingyu answered with tearful smile.

Jeonghan, Jisoo, and Mingyu.

They’d always been together.

He’d always hoped they could still be with each other until they were old and grey.

He could at least hope for that, right?

After everything that’s happened, Mingyu could at least hope for that.

His shrewd friend smiled back at him and playfully ruffled his hair.

“Alright. Let’s get out of here, Mingy-”

Jeonghan’s eyes widened, and he violently pushed the king away, spluttering as he received the full impact of Minki’s whip. The weapon’s lash struck him in the chest, and a meteoric blast of lightning surged through his entire body.

But this was different.

It was bigger and stronger, and the color was a haunting shade of bright orange. It was giving off a singe - a flashing heat that made the air inside the room hard to breathe.

The Alpha king fell to the floor, and his mouth gaped wide open. Even though he hadn’t sustained any of the impact, he could feel the nerves on his own skin prickle with the sting of a thousand needles.

“Hyung!!!” he cried out desperately.

Jeonghan’s entire form was stock-still as the current wrecked across his skin, burrowing into layers of muscles and all the way inside his bones and organs. The charge sizzled and scorched all around him over and over again - burning him from the inside out.

His eyes glazed over, and his skin became even paler than the lightest shade of white. The light in his eyes dimmed into nothingness - soulless, empty, and lost…

_Jeonghan, Jisoo, and Mingyu._

_They’d always been together._

“Say goodbye to your precious friend, mutt,” Minki cruelly sneered at Mingyu. “No one has ever survived the full power of my whip.”

Mingyu shakily reached out to Jeonghan, but the Alpha from the Moon Shadow Village was trapped in the orange surge. No one could pull him out of it even if they tried.

“In just a few seconds, he’s going to disintegrate into ashes right before your very eyes,” their enemy said, completely unbothered by what he’d just done. He gazed down at Mingyu in contempt. “This is what you get for disobeying me, mutt. If you’d just given me your power…your friend might still be alive right now.”

The Alpha king of Gwangsan Kim winced and looked away as his tears pattered on the stone floor.

_Jeonghan, Jisoo, and Mingyu._

_A mismatched trio doomed from the start._

_“We’ll all be together again someday…”_

No.

Never again.

No more crying.

They were going to keep fighting no matter what.

No more hiding.

No more separating.

_Never again._

The room began to take on a warmer temperature…

…but the heat wasn’t coming from Mingyu…

“…Didn’t I tell you to _shut the fuck up_?!”

Minki was startled by the growl that had erupted behind him, and before he could even completely realize that it was Jeonghan who’d spoken, the cunning Alpha threw an uppercut into his jaw.

The electricity was still crackling all over his figure, but none of it had debilitated him the way it had with Mingyu.

Minki staggered backwards and attempted to strike at him once more, discharging the same amount of power he’d used moments ago, but this time, Jeonghan caught the end of the whip with his hand. The surge was absorbed into his body, and it didn’t cause him any sort of pain.

Instead, it made his eyes glow in an ethereal gleam of blue.

“No, this is impossible! You’re just a human! You have no power!” Minki squawked, tugging his weapon back with little success.

“You’re right. I am a human - just like you…but _you_ don’t have any power…” he responded with an intrepid tone, before despotically yanking the scourge out of Minki’s hands. “Because this weapon is _mine_.”

Jeonghan swung the whip around, and with a single flay, he electrocuted Minki with a blue lightning current.

Mingyu shielded his eyes from the vividness of the eruption, but he could still hear the screeches of pain coming from the Alpha leader of Begonia Highland.

When the flash finally dispersed and the room fell into silence, he opened his eyes and found nothing left from Choi Minki’s body but a dark pile of ash.

Jeonghan sighed in relief, before staring down at the rose etched onto the handle of the whip and fondly outlining the petals with his fingers.

The Alpha king of Firestorm Fortress had a fairly good idea about what had just occurred, but he had to confirm what he was thinking. “Hyung, how…?”

“I didn’t lie when I said this is mine,” his friend elucidated, still a bit surprised himself by how the tables had turned in their favor. “This whip had been passed down the Yoon Family line for generations, but someone messed up somewhere…and our sacred weapon was lost to time. I honestly never even believed it existed…until Minki showed up the way he did and took Jisoo away.”

He reached a hand out to help Mingyu up, and the Alpha king appreciatively took it.

“That’s why Minki couldn’t kill you with it…”

Yoon Jeonghan really did possess some kind of unordinary luck.

But at this point, was anyone really surprised?

He’d succeeded in winning Hong Jisoo’s heart - that should have been a dead giveaway from the very beginning.

“He should’ve known better than to play with someone else’s toy,” the cunning Alpha chuckled lamely. “I mean, seriously?! He knew my name! I’m Yoon Jeonghan, and he still tried to kill me with a whip engraved with roses! Didn’t he learn anything about the Moon Shadow Village?!”

Mingyu shook his head at the ridiculousness of it all. “Come on, hyung…we still have more people to rescue besides Jisoo-hyung this time around…”

“And we really need to stop reuniting like this!” Jeonghan exclaimed, coiling up his brand new, "tactically acquired" weapon.

They stepped out of the torture room, just in time to see Seokmin frantically running straight through the hall.

“Jeonghan-hyung! Mingyu-hyung!” he called out expediciously. “Jisoo-hyung isn’t here!”

The cheesy smile on Jeonghan’s face instantly melted away. “Are you absolutely sure?!”

“Yes, I looked into every cell!” the Beta verified. “Even the ones on the other floors!”

“Then, if Jisoo-hyung isn’t here…” Mingyu began, trailing off as his gaze moved to the other Alpha.

Jeonghan’s mood immediately darkened. “Where the hell did Choi Minki take him?”

Their Beta companion frowned. “...While we were being dragged into the dungeons, I heard one of the guards mention a city being occupied by the Carnation Kingdom now. They might have taken Jisoo-hyung there.”

“What was the name of the city?”

Seokmin divulged the information he’d stealthily collected, and upon hearing the name of the new kingdom Kim Jonghyun had conquered, the two Alphas couldn’t hold back the terror in their expressions.

* * *

“Hyung?!” Soonyoung shrieked in both delight and horror. He never even thought those two emotions could ever be combined together. 

Jisoo titled his head and offered both Soonyoung and Minghao a pleasant smile. “Hello…lovely seeing you two again…”

“What are you doing here, hyung?!” the Kwon Omega asked, a bit more oblivious and slow to this strangely coincidental circumstances.

Minghao, on the other hand, was always at his sharpest. He noticed the bandage around the Second Prince’s throat, and Jisoo awkwardly covered his neck with a delicate hand.

“Choi Minki took me to this strange place,” he expounded tensely. “I’m just glad the three of us are together here at least.”

Soonyoung kneeled before the Second Prince and held his hands. “Jisoo-hyung, don’t worry! We’re busting you out of here! Minghao and I will protect you!”

But that was only a fragment of the giant picture.

Minghao was the only one who could see it right now.

“We need to get going…I don’t know how much time we have…” he remarked warily, before slipping his body through the bars to begin his search.

Once he found the keys to unlock the chains around their bodies, Minghao advised them on how to sneak out of the place without being detected.

They had to stay low to the ground and as quiet as possible. It would be best not to attract any sort of unwanted attention, so they had to shed their nightshade robes from Firestorm Fortress.

If any of them were apprehended, they could always say they were part of a traveling sex show, and they had just finished a lewd exhibition for the Alpha king - whoever the bastard may be.

The three Omegas climbed up the stairs to the main edifice. Soonyoung and Minghao snuck around the area first before guiding Jisoo from one room to another. They were faring well in their mission to evade the roaming guards, and the wind was howling loud enough to hide the creaks in the wooden floors they were stepping on.

A visible gate was only meters away, but before they could dash out into the perileus, Soonyoung looked over his shoulder and realized the Second Prince was no longer behind him.

The Kwon Omega almost bayed in panic at Jisoo's disappearance, but fortunately, Minghao covered his mouth before any sound could erupt from it.

“What the hell, Soonyoung?!” the willowy Omega whispered irritably.

Soonyoung stubbornly patted at his hand, until the offending thing was removed from his face. “Minghao! Minghao, Jisoo-hyung is missing!”

“But he was right there!” he argued, but when he looked, the Second Prince was indeed no where behind Soonyoung.

But a few seconds later, Jisoo emerged from one of the rooms…carrying a gayageum in his arms.

“Hyung, what are you doing?!” Minghao scolded him through distraught whispers. “Why do you have a gayageum?!”

“I need it to play music,” the Second Prince of Namyang Hong responded, sounding like it all made sense when it clearly didn’t.

He was acting unwell again.

The stress of everything was making him regress.

Of course, the willowy Omega was far from done with his reprimands, and he knew he should’ve been more patient with the Baeghab prince. But their lives were at stake, and he was only trying to make sure they all made it out of here alive. “Now’s not the time to be picking up souvenirs, hyung! You’re only going to get us killed if you keep acting this way!”

Jisoo glowered at Minghao, and instead of sticking with their initial plan, he scurried out into the open courtyard all by himself.

The two other Omegas immediately after him.

“Jisoo-hyung, stop!” Minghao yelled.

As they bolted through the small gates, Soonyoung felt a strong sense of nostalgia as his head whipped around their surroundings. Jisoo eventually stopped running, and the three found themselves at the entrance to the back of a palace, and with it being the only available pathway they could see, the Omegas had no choice but to venture inside.

Before he walked across the threshold, the Kwon prince noticed carvings on the wooden doors, and in the middle of both panels, there were beautiful sigils of a flower he knew far too well.

“Oh my god,” he lamented in absolute dread, heart sinking into a pit of perturbation.

He finally realized where they had been imprisoned all this time.

“What is it, Soonyoung?” Minghao asked apprehensively.

The Prince of Andong Kwon turned to his friends in a chilling state of mortification. “We’re in the Aster Province…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to clear up, no Jeonghan does not have fire powers. He just has a magical whip with lightning and the electricity discharges heat. Hence, the room getting hotter.
> 
> Next time on Bulgae:  
> 1.) Continuing the story of Dokyeom, Eunwoo, and the Dark Entity of Death  
> 2.) Minhyun's heart-to-heart conversation with a special someone  
> 3.) Mingyu and Jeonghan on their final mission together  
> 4.) Facing off against the enemies. There's still Minhyun, Longfei, and Jonghyun to deal with.  
> 5.) Return to the Aster Province  
> 6.) Now don't be acting crazy, Jisoo. 
> 
> Two chapters left, you guys! Once again, thank you for all the support you all have shown me! Please do comment or leave kudos if you can! I really love love love hearing from you guys. It really helps me to know what you guys are feeling or thinking! Also, it helps me feel like I'm not throwing this into a black void and nobody cares XDDDDD but I know you guys do! So again, thank you so much and see you in the next chapter.


	29. Chapter 29

_Falling towards you, I want to see you right now. Someday, surely, you’d be in my heart._

_I am a flower…_

_I believe in letting beautiful flowers bloom._

_Gazing at the blue sky, blooming once again, I want to be someone’s everything._

_I’d lived for the moment,_

_but I knew that everything had a meaning once I met you._

_Between the time when flowers bloom and scatter, scars heal and sprouts emerge._

_We live for this moment, the first and last._

_That's why I won't take you for granted, because you love somebody like me…_

_I am a flower._

_I’m falling towards you now…_

_-Seventeen, Fallin’ Flower (2020)_

_Eunwoo was alone in Dokyeom’s garden, carefully tending to the new sprouts growing from the soil. They were all still babies in their mothers’ wombs in the mortal realm, so he had to give them extra attention to ensure a safe nativity for each one of them._

_Every flower family in the garden was growing, blooming, and proliferating wonderfully…all except the calico asters._

_He knelt down beside their stagnating faction, frowning deeply as he touched one of the withering blossoms - greying at the petals and drooping much too close to the ground. Another one soon to be gone forever._

_There were only a handful of them left, and only a couple of them were going to survive long enough to see an old age._

_But not all hope was lost for the calico asters._

_Eunwoo allowed himself a soft and modest smile._

_There was a tiny bud was peeking from the dirt, hardly noticeable, but it was there. It was so small and delicate, and the God of Flowers already loved it with all his heart._

_He couldn’t wait to tell Dokyeom once he returned from his undertaking with the Almighty One._

_The God of Fate would surely be ecstatic to hear this magnificent news._

_“You must stay strong, little one,” Eunwoo balmily enjoined the calico aster bud. “The future of your family lies in you…”_

_His hand cautiously approached the bud to give it a comforting nudge, but before his fingertips could get close enough to touch it, he found a grey coloring at the tip of the single leaf._

_The smile on his lips immediately faded back into a miserable frown._

_“No…no…you haven’t even been born yet…” he lamented at the upsetting sight._

_The disease was trying to take this poor child now too, and it pained him to know that he could do nothing to stop it._

_“Still crying over your stupid flowers, Eunwoo?”_

_Startled, The God of Flowers swiftly stood up and turned around. He knew exactly who this interloper was. “How did you get in here?!”_

_The Dark Entity of Death smirked and held up the remnants of the garden’s entrance. The beautiful wooden branches had been decayed by caliginous magic and broken into lifeless fragments. “You wouldn’t let me in, so I had to open the gates myself.”_

_Eunwoo glared at the malicious being. “Leave this place at once! You are not welcome here!”_

_Death discarded the branch in his hand and scowled. “Why do you insist on staying in this disgusting place with him?!”_

_“I happen to love this garden! The children here are so beautiful, and it brings me so much joy to care for them.”_

_“Then I will make you another garden! You can stay with me there, and we can have our own children in our own home!”_

_“No!” Eunwoo repudiated. He did not want to aggravate his old friend, but he had no other choice. He had to stand his ground and show Death that he would no longer give in to his demands like before. “I want to stay here. You cannot make me leave!”_

_“You don’t belong here! You have no business with the God of Fate and his pitiful children. You belong with me,” the Dark Entity proclaimed, taking a step closer to Eunwoo and looking deep into his golden eyes._

_This was the Bright Entity of Life - his counterpart and his equal._

_“We were created together - Life and Death… We were always meant to be. We are the most feared gods in all three realms. We brought forth the powers of so many other gods. No matter what happens to us, life and death will still continue, because that is how powerful we truly are. Even the Almighty One fears us.”_

_Eunwoo lowered his gaze and bit his bottom lip._

_“So I beg of you…” the Dark Entity continued somberly. “Join me, Eunwoo. We belong together. This whole world can be ours together.”_

_“But…it is not right.”_

_“How can it not be right?”_

_“Because I love Dokyeom!” the Bright Entity shouted, shaking as he clenched his fists and poured out his true feelings once and for all. “I love him, and I will stay here with him and his children for as long as I live.”_

_The Dark Entity of Death fell into a bitter silence, ears ringing from the words Eunwoo had just confessed. They’d wounded him like a jagged blade through the heart, and the festering pain was almost impossible to bear. But he held back the urge to bewail his sorrow. No, he would not give Life the satisfaction of hurting him and watching him weep in agony._

_Instead, Death latched on to the only emotion that always masked his weakness._

_Rage._

_He glowered at Eunwoo, and with a nasty snarl, he said, “If you refuse to be with me…then I refuse to let you be with someone else…”_

_Death shot a hand out and pressed it firmly against Eunwoo’s chest._

_The God of Life parted his lips in a silent gasp. A devastating realization eclipsed over his expression, and slowly…the glimmering light in Eunwoo’s golden eyes dwindled like the setting sun._

* * *

Hwang Minhyun forcefully consumed the rest of his wine in a single gulp, grimacing from the burning sensation of alcohol running down his throat. He was all alone in his new boudoir, completely at the mercy of his unrelenting emotions. He wanted to feel numb and not broken, but the tears wouldn’t stop overflowing from his eyes. There was an ache in him that would not go away no matter how much wine he drank, and it was probably never going to leave him.

As he looked out the window of his room, the Alpha King of Chrysanthemum State spotted three Omegas dashing across the empty courtyard behind the palace. Though their proper names evaded him, he knew exactly whose captives they were and which dingy cell they’d escaped from.

But Minhyun couldn’t bother to deal with them right now.

He didn’t care about what his allies wanted at the moment.

All he cared about was having Wonwoo by his side again, but even after he’d finally gotten his hands on the wayward Alpha, Minhyun was still forlorn and disgruntled.

One of the Omegas - Kim Mingyu’s lover, if he recalled correctly - tripped on the uneven stone path of the courtyard, and the skinniest Omega of the bunch began nagging him for being too clumsy instead of helping him up.

It was a cute gesture, maybe a bit cold, but full of unspoken concern and care only true friends would have for each other.

Minhyun felt the stinging in his chest worsen.

Wonwoo used to do the same thing when they were kids…back when they were innocent children who only had each other.

When they were the best of friends…

Minhyun would’ve loved to have that with Wonwoo again…but sadly, things were never going back to the way they used to be.

The Alpha king begrudgingly admitted that it was his own wrongdoings that had ruined everything between them. He’d become so greedy for power, and he’d lost more than he’d gained trying to attain it.

Now, Wonwoo only saw him as a monster.

He was never going to love Minhyun like he loved his Omega from Firestorm Fortress.

After their small squabble, the two other Omegas heaved Kim Mingyu’s lover back onto his feet, and the three prisoners continued their getaway and disappeared from Minhyun’s view.

They were Kim Jonghyun’s problem now.

Minhyun had done his part in their grandiose scheme, and in exchange, he’d gotten Wonwoo - just as they’d agreed upon.

Chrysanthemum State owed nothing to the Carnation Kingdom anymore.

Minhyun moved away from the window, staggering as he kicked numerous empty bottles of wine on his way out the room.

He had a meeting he needed to attend, and he’d left his guest waiting for far too long.

Lurching down the stairs to the lower floor, the Alpha felt more and more consumed by the guilt inside of him.

The Alpha king had never thought this was the life he’d end up living. He’d never thought this was the kind of person he’d become, and it was sickening.

For a long time, Minhyun had looked up to his allies. He had been blinded by all that they’d accomplished and all the powers they’d acquired. His entire family had always admired the mountain kingdoms and their rulers, and all Minhyun had ever wanted was to be like them.

But maybe Wonwoo had the right idea to believe in Kim Mingyu and his ideals instead.

Maybe, all this time, he should have been trying to become a sovereign like the King of Gwangsan Kim.

Oh, if only he could turn back time…

Would Wonwoo have learned to love him if he’d steered clear of this dark path?

Would Wonwoo have stayed with him in Chrysanthemum State?

It was too late to find out now.

Much too late.

Minhyun had already lost his best friend forever…

He arrived at the lowest level of the edifice - deep beneath the earth's surface, and with a sharp pull on the stiff sliding door, he entered the chamber where his guest was patiently waiting.

“I’m…so soooo sorry to keep you…wai-waiting…” Minhyun drunkenly slurred, swaying as he floundered to the motionless Alpha lying on a table.

He was dressed in artistic robes of nightshade - bloodied but still elegant, and on his arms, there were depictions of daisies carved into his vambraces.

“I know…I have so…so much more to apo…logize to you about…”

Minhyun steadied himself on the table, grasping at its edges as he shamefully glanced at the Alpha’s closed eyes.

“I…didn’t mean to kill you…a-and…and I shouldn’t have…t-tried to kill your…your Om…ega…”

His regrets were genuine, even though he had already killed so many others before this Alpha. The ignoble weight of his despicable actions was finally catching up to him, and there was no place for him to hide and no one for him to turn to.

He had no one.

No family.

No friends.

No Wonwoo.

_“Was it worth it?”_

_“Was it all worth it in the end?”_

Tears were spilling from his eyes again, and he didn’t bother wiping them away.

“I know…Wonwoo w-would have…been…s-sad if I…left your body…out there…He said…you’re his…best…friend…” the Alpha king garbled. “I…I use-used to be his…b-best friend…I love Wonwoo…but h-he chose someone else. He will n-never be mine…I was wrong…I was selfish…”

_“So was it worth it, hyung?! Was it worth killing all those people?!”_

“You…lost y-your life…because of me… So m-m-many people…lost their…lives…all because of me…”

_“How many lives did you have to take? Ten? Twenty? Fifty? A hundred? Two hundred???”_

_“Minhyun-hyung…how many?”_

How could he ever answer that?

How could Wonwoo have expected him to tell the truth?

“Chrysanthemum State…is gone…I am the ru-ruler…of a nation t-that n-n-no…longer…exists…because I…murdered my own p-people…I murdered…my entire k-kingdom…to gain the Power of Earth…”

_“Well now you have all the power you could ever want! So was it worth it, hyung?! Was it worth killing all those people?!”_

None of it had been worth it.

Because he had given up everything…for a power that had left him with nothing.

“I want Wonwoo…I w-want Wonwoo to be…h-happy…” the Alpha sobbed gracelessly. “I don’t want to make h-h-him sad anymore…”

Minhyun had so much to atone for, and there would never be enough reparations to fix all the wrong he’d committed.

People like him didn’t need to run rampant in the mortal world.

Hell suited his besmirched soul far better than this middle realm.

“Please…I hope…you will find it in your heart…to forgive me someday…” This was his final request, and he would never want anything else in the world ever again. “…will you please…take care of…Wonwoo for me? Please…w-watch over him… _Junhui_ …”

Of course, his guest could not answer, because this Alpha was just an empty vessel, and his soul was already up in Heaven. Still, Minhyun gratefully and respectfully bowed to his guest for listening to his terminal plea.

He quietly exited the chamber, not bothering to shut the sliding door close, and made his way to another room in the middle of the hall.

It was a lot smaller than his guest’s boudoir. He had filled it with a large collection of books - most of which he’d already read and studied multiple times, but apart from the occupied shelves, there was nothing else inside.

This room had an important purpose to serve. It was the only chamber in the palace where he could perform his final act of love - for the one person who would always have his heart.

The Alpha unsheathed the sword passed down from his ancestors to him, and without a beat of hesitation, he sliced both of his wrists.

Crimson soaked into his sleeves and dripped down his hands in a gentle stream.

He threw his weapon to the side and kneeled down on the floor to begin drawing symbols with his own blood. They were patterns he’d memorized from the books a long time ago, and the magic in their shapes and secret languages was the only thing that could help give him exoneration from his sins.

Three circles.

The hallmarks of the earth.

The ancient texts of the gods.

The seal of love.

The crest of the Fourth Brother.

Weakened from the loss of ichor, Minhyun kneeled in the center of his bloody artwork and closed his eyes. He prayed to the gods who’d witnessed all his madness and begged them for a liberation from everything worldly and otherworldly.

He wished to leave the Power of Earth here…

…and pass it on to another…

After he finished his invocations, Minhyun looked up at the ceiling, and his pale lips trembled as they morphed into a sad but peaceful smile. “I…will always… love you…”

The symbols of his ritual circle glowed, and the magic of the immortals chipped away at his body little by little.

He was going to pay for all his sins in the afterlife.

He was going to be burning in the fires of Gamangnara for an eternity…

But Minhyun was happy knowing that, despite his own ill-fated doom…the person who mattered most to him…would have the gift to fight back against the other monsters seeking to destroy the world.

This was his final act of love.

As the Power of Earth abandoned Minhyun’s dying body, a circle of light encompassed the person one floor above the ritual room.

The imprisoned Alpha tugged at ropes around his wrists, attempting to escape the green light consuming him, but the luminescence was too overwhelming.

It made him feel bilious and light-headed, paralyzing him with both pain inside his bones and discomforting pricks all over his skin.

_“I…will always…love you…”_

Who was that?

Who was it that had always loved him?

Before he could fully comprehend what was happening, Wonwoo fell to the floor and lost all consciousness.

* * *

The earth rumbled beneath their feet, and the three omegas fleeing across the palace precinct were thrown off balance. They stopped running and waited for the sudden shaking too cease.

“What the hell?!” Minghao deplored, hands finally letting go after clutching both Soonyoung and Jisoo to keep them steady. “That earthquake was not normal.”

“Could it have come from Hwang Minhyun?” Soonyoung asked, looking around to see any sign of the Alpha king he’d mentioned.

His willowy contemporary made a abhorrent face. “He’s probably here somewhere, so we have to get out before he finds us-”

“Stop right there!!!”

The three Omegas sharply turned to find guards from the Carnation Kingdom blocking the palace grounds’ main exit.

“Jisoo-hyung, get behind us,” Soonyoung said to the Second Prince of Baeghab, motioning for him to move back.

Jisoo held the gayageum he'd stolen tighter against his chest and did as he'd been instructed to do.

Minghao counted the number of guards they would have to face. “There’s sixteen of them, and they’re all Alphas.”

What happened to undermining poor little Omegas?

Minghao knew he could handle sixteen soldiers but not while trying to protect both Soonyoung and Jisoo at the same time. This was going to be messy.

He glanced at Soonyoung. “I hope you still remember your training.”

The Kwon Omega gulped nervously but forced himself to keep his expression neutral. “I’ll probably be losing a couple of teeth, but Mingyu will still love me…right? Right, Minghao? Right? Minghao? Mingha-”

“You can go completely bald and toothless, and he’ll still love you, okay?!” Minghao grumbled in annoyance. “Now focus on the damn enemy!”

Soonyoung felt his cheeks blush and his insides quiver with glee, but he shrugged off the fuzzy feelings and returned his full attention to the soldiers surrounding them.

The two Omegas stood side by side, taking on the defensive poses they’d learned from training in Firestorm Fortress.

The guards had weapons, but Soonyoung and Minghao didn’t. So they were going to have to be incredibly cautious while fighting these Alphas. A few cuts and bruises were tolerable, but a full on stab would completely jeopardize their escape.

Thankfully, they’d both learned to defend themselves well with their comrades back home.

The Alpha guards charged at them all at once, and Soonyoung and Minghao were ready to receive their blows.

But before they could launch themselves into the brawl, a familiar melody began playing.

The two Omegas looked over their shoulders and saw Hong Jisoo sitting primly on the ground just a few meters away, plucking the strings of the gayageum he’d obtained with his long and nimble fingers.

The music aroused memories of the songs he’d play back in the Firestorm Garden, and with each note strung, the swirling wind around them seemed to have a responding howl. 

Everything was almost moving in slow motion.

Jisoo ran a hand over the gayageum and released a harsh tune by raking his nails horizontally across the strings - right in the direction of the oncoming guards.

A large gust of wind gently blew through Soonyoung and Minghao’s bodies, and the two Omegas followed the invisible air with their gazes.

Once it had reached the Alphas, the gale instantly became sharp like a sickle and sliced into the soldiers’ necks. The wind had been strong enough to knock all of sixteen guards down, and they were decapitated in the blink of an eye.

The Kwon Omega gaped in terror, while the Second Prince casually brushed himself off and picked up his gayageum.

“J-Jisoo-hyung, wh-where did you learn h-how to do that?!” Soonyoung stammered.

“I’ve had a lot of time to practice…” Jisoo answered, noticing how Minghao was looking at him in a strange way.

“Hyung, you had the Power of Wind all this time?” the willowy Omega queried, obviously displeased and increasingly disquieted by the Second Prince’s current state of being. “Why didn’t you tell us?!”

“No one ever asked,” the Second Prince responded impassively.

As he cradled the gayageum once more, another gust of wind came whizzing past him, whispering words only he could hear. Jisoo frowned anxiously at the obscured message and turned to the Kwon prince. “Soonyoung…your parents…they’re in peril…”

“W-What?!” the Omega of the Aster Province spluttered in worry and confusion, forgetting all about their plans to leave the city. “H-Hyung, how did you- wh-where are they?”

Jisoo waited to hear from another breeze before answering, “…in the throne room.”

Soonyoung would never forget where the throne room was. More often than not, it had been the only place he could ever speak with his father...even if it had only been formal.

He apologetically gazed at Minghao. “I need to help them.”

The willowy Omega nodded. There was no sign of disappointment in his expression, only patience and understanding. “We will help your parents first then.”

A crack of lightning ripped through the darkened sky, and the thunder that followed made chills ripple down Soonyoung’s spine.

Minghao leered into the distant sky and clenched his jaw. “That has to be Choi Minki.”

At the wind’s incessant howling, Jisoo gasped and urgently opened his mouth to say something, but Soonyoung had not noticed and unintentionally disrupted him.

“Let’s go,” the Kwon Omega stated apprehensively, before leading the way to his father’s throne room.

The Second Prince’s words died on his tongue. Jisoo longingly peered at the open gates and sighed, quickly turning away and departing with his two friends.

* * *

The throne room of the Aster Province was just as chilling as it used to be.

As a child, it had already been so intimidating, but at least when he was younger, Soonyoung had been welcomed here. After he’d presented as an Omega, the throne room had warped into nothing but a cold and miserable place. It was akin to a torture chamber - built to be a remembrance for all of his failures every time he was summoned by his father. Verbal and emotional abuse was all he would receive in this forsaken room.

Soonyoung knew his parents would never bow to him here, but he never imagined them bending at the knees to someone else.

An Alpha dressed in black and silver robes was sitting on his father’s royal seat, expression haughty and detestable as he looked down at the King and Queen bowing at his feet. The man had his legs crossed, and he was slumped in the throne as if he had no care for proper decorum.

“E-Eomma…A…Apppa…?” Soonyoung stuttered, silently questioning whether he had gone insane or whether he was actually seeing his parents in such a pitiful state.

Who was this person?

Why were his parents bowing down to someone who was not the king?

Unless…this Alpha wearing black was now the new King of the Aster Province…

The thought made him tremble in anger.

His father’s kingdom…

No, this wasn’t just his father’s or his clan’s land.

The Aster Province was Soonyoung’s _home_.

The Kwon Omega’s parents looked up, and both of their expressions immediately paled.

“Soonyoung?! Why are you here?!!!” his mother angrily queried.

His father was even more upset upon seeing him. “Get back inside your cell if you know what’s good for you!”

Minghao scowled at the Alpha’s harsh words. Before he could give the Kwon Alpha a piece of his mind, Soonyoung held a hand out to stop him.

Jisoo looked to the Kwon prince, conveying an encouraging tenor in his bright eyes, and Soonyoung regarded him with quiet gratitude.

He glowered back at his mother and father, seething visibly as his veins bubbled with an animosity he’d never felt for them before.

Their little family had not seen each other in so long. Was his existence truly only a bane for them? Did they really hate him that much for failing to become the Alpha prince they’d desperately wanted?

He was their only son for crying out loud!

Did that really mean nothing to them?

“Why is another Alpha sitting on the throne?” Soonyoung responded dauntlessly. He wasn’t going to listen to them anymore, and he certainly wasn’t going back into the dungeons like a good little Omega.

He was no longer _that_ Soonyoung.

His father was taken aback by the ferocity in the prince’s gaze, and as his face reddened, the Alpha stumbled over his words as he attempted to recover from his son’s unexpected disobedience. “He-He’s…I mean! T-This is _King Jonghyun_ …f-from the…the Carnation Kingdom. We are a-all under his benevolent r-rule now…”

“He has been gracious enough to spare us and our people…” the Omega queen added, pausing strangely before glancing at Soonyoung in an almost rueful way. “…in…in exchange for _your life_.”

The Kwon prince’s eyes widened. “M-My life?” 

How laughable.

Of course. Of course they wouldn’t care.

After all, they had offered him up to Kwak Youngmin and his despicable clan.

Why wouldn’t they sacrifice him to another scoundrel just to save their own heads?

“No… N-No! _I will not die!_ I refuse to be your scapegoat-”

Soonyoung’s father growled belligerently and stalked towards the prince. “You good-for-nothing, selfish Omega!!! Think about the people! Think about your own parents instead of yourself for once! You’ve brought nothing but shame to this family! I’ll be damned before I let you be the death of us all!!!”

He raised a hand to strike his son, but Minghao caught the Kwon Alpha’s arm just before he could land a hit on Soonyoung’s face. “Don’t you dare lay a hand on him!”

The willowy Omega shoved the aggravated king away, and Jisoo moved to protectively stand in front of Soonyoung and shield him from the other people in the room. “And don’t you dare say anything like that to him ever again! He’s your son! Stop talking to him like he’s anything lesser than that just because he’s not an Alpha!”

“Just who do you two think you are?!” the Kwon patriarch bellowed, baring his teeth at Soonyoung’s Omega contemporaries.

“We’re his family!” Jisoo shouted back.

Minghao took a step closer and stared threateningly into the Alpha’s eyes. “His real family! So if you want to take his life, you’ll have to go through us first.”

Soonyoung’s father became even more livid after being talked down to in this way, and another vile roar of hurtful words was about to escape his mouth. 

But a certain Alpha emerged from behind the throne, sinisterly smiling as he unveiled his own presence.

“ _Enough of this nonsense, Minghao._ ”

The willowy Omega turned to the deplorable person who’d uttered his name and snarled. “How many more times must I have to see that ugly face of yours?”

Longfei grinned maliciously at the insult. “Firestorm Fortress really has spoiled you too much. You’ve truly lost your mind. You don’t even show respect to Alphas anymore.”

Minghao sent him an intensified death stare. “I only respect the ones who deserve it.”

“Like who? _Junhui_?”

The mention of his dead lover’s name struck a hard cord, and it sent the willowy Omega’s heart into a beating frenzy.

Longfei noted the slight change in Minghao’s expression, and he laughed maniacally at his own doing. “Oh, wait! He’s dead! _Because of you_!”

“That’s not true!” Soonyoung cried out, knowing how badly his friend was hurting right now. The last thing he needed was to be blamed for his beloved Alpha’s death.

The Alpha from the White Swan Empire chuckled. “Oh, but it is! You see, Xu Minghao only pretends to be strong. Deep inside, he’s just a helpless, puny Omega who always needs an Alpha to save him!”

In the blink of an eye, Minghao had managed to move fast enough to unsheathe Longfei’s own sword and hold it at its very owner’s neck. The room came to a standstill, and the only person who wasn’t shocked by what just happened was the Alpha sitting on the throne and smirking.

“Says the useless Alpha who’s been hiding behind other Alphas all his life…” the willowy Omega stated with a cold gaze.

Longfei squinted irately at his former servant. “Oh, Minghao…still so foolish until now. I have no reason to hide behind anyone anymore…because I am just as powerful as any god up in heaven.”

A whirlpool materialized on the surface of his open palm.

Minghao eyed the swirling water in revulsion, remembering with distraught how Mingyu had been drowned by the noxious liquid, but the delusional Alpha interpreted his countenance in a vastly different manner.

“I can practically feel the jealousy pouring out through your sweat,” Longfei said, giggling like the lunatic he was. “But this is a gift meant only for Alphas. Oh, if only Junhui had inherited this power from my father! Maybe he could have avoided getting stabbed through the heart!”

The willowy Omega furrowed his brows. “Emperor Yue…had the Power of Water?”

“Yes, he did…” the crazed Alpha imparted. “Sadly, my father had been too much of a milksop to use it. So instead of just watching such a glorious power go to waste, I decided to relieve him of his royal duties earlier than expected.”

Minghao reeled at the implication in Longfei’s words. “Y-You _killed your own father_?!”

“I had to put him out of his misery eventually. He put up an incredible fight against the torture I put him through. You’d think a person would give in after all ten fingers and toes had been cut off, but not my father. He was down to both wrists before he finally surrendered the power to me.”

All the while, Longfei had no remorse in his face as he reiterated what he’d done to his own king.

He was despicable.

Disgusting.

Minghao wanted to puke. He never wanted to see Fu Longfei again after today.

“And what about your grotesque brothers? Were they in on your plan to murder your own father as well?”

The mad Alpha rolled his eyes. “Of course not! My brothers were furious when they found out what happened. They even tried to attack me! So as punishment for their treachery, they served as my practice dummies until their bodies wore out, and thanks to them, I uncovered so many secrets to this marvelous gift.”

The killing was never going to end, was it?

It didn’t matter who had to die, as long as they got what they wanted.

These monsters were going to keep killing and killing, until the world was bled dry and no one else could oppose of their dreadful reign ever again.

They had to be stopped.

This madness had to be stopped now or it never will.

“You’re a monster!” Minghao shouted, maneuvering the sword with both hands as he tried to behead Longfei right then and there.

But the Alpha had been one step quicker, and he send a wave of water straight into the Omega’s lithe body. “I am a supreme being!!!”

The watery blast pushed Minghao away, and he was mercilessly slammed against the wall. The impact made him cough out blood, and when he fell down to the floor, the Omega struggled to get back onto his feet.

Longfei conjured another wave to beat down on Minghao’s weakened form.

But his deluge was intercepted by a vigorous gust of wind, and the water dispersed into droplets showering over everyone in the room.

The Alpha leered in the direction where the wind had come from, and Jisoo scowled back at him as he gingerly strung the gayageum in his lap.

“And the Power of Wind finally reveals itself…” Kim Jonghyun remarked, thoroughly amused by the display in front of him. He turned to the king and queen of the Aster Province with an irritated frown and commanded, “Get out.”

The couple fled out the throne room - panic-stricken and affrighted - without even looking back at their only son.

As he carefully lifted Minghao up, Soonyoung felt his heart sink as he caught sight of his parents running away. He reticently wondered if they ever truly loved him, even just a bit.

“Let me kill all three of them, Jonghyun!” Longfei pleaded to the Alpha on the throne. A bloodlust was building up inside him, and he needed to feed it as soon as possible. “I want to rid the world of these ugly creatures once and for all! Their continued presence here is only making me nauseous!!!”

Jonghyun’s depraved smile returned. “Alright then. Put on a good show for me, Longfei.”

“And the Power of Wind?” the Alpha from the White Swan Empire gleefully asked.

Carnation Kingdom’s leader observed Jisoo for a short moment before answering, “All yours to keep.”

The Second Prince glared at Jonghyun and then at Longfei. “Actually, I think we’ll be keeping yours.”

“I’d like to see you try, Omega!” Longfei replied through a nasty snarl.

Minghao wiped the blood off his lips and took on a defensive sword stance.

“Soonyoung, stay back,” he instructed to the Kwon Omega. “It’s either he dies…or we do.”

There was no other choice now.

The Prince of the Aster Province took a step back and lowered his head in guilt. He’d brought his friends into a dangerous situation yet again, all because he loved his parents - the two people who never even loved him in return.

They’d already lost Junhui.

Who else were they going to lose this time?

* * *

“This is insanity,” Jeonghan commented perturbingly as they gazed upon the mess Soonyoung’s beloved Aster Province had become.

Citizens were being chained and forced into cages. Houses were being looted and burned to the ground. Dead bodies were littered on the grounds of the city, and anyone who tried to fight against their captors or attempted to escape the kingdom were murdered on the spot.

The men who were wreaking havoc on the land wore black and silver colors on their robes, and depictions of carnations were inscribed into their breast plates.

Kim Jonghyun had brought his men here, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if his other allies were here as well.

“Hyung…we have to do something…” Mingyu spoke, staring fretfully at a particular crate filled with children crying for their parents.

Jeonghan turned to where his friend was looking and felt even more sickened by the Carnation Kingdom’s savagery.

“I know,” he responded steely. “But we are going to need some back up… Luckily, I know the perfect place where we can find an extra set of helping hands.”

“I’ll stay here and do a reconnaissance,” Seokmin volunteered, giving the two Alphas a small but determined smile. “That way, when we all meet up again, we’ll have a better idea on how to deal with this chaos.”

“Will you be alright on your own for a while?” Jeonghan asked, and the Beta responded with even more enthusiasm.

“Just leave everything here to me, hyung!"

Jeonghan placed a hand on Seokmin’s shoulder and grasped it tight. “Make sure you don’t get caught.”

The Beta who smelled like bergamots nodded in understanding, before stealthily moving to another hiding spot to carry out his assignment.

The two remaining Alphas then glanced at each other, and Jeonghan released a heavy breath. “Mingyu…I must ask you this just one last time…”

Mingyu already knew what his dear friend wanted to say.

Everyone knew there was only one person who’d reigned over Jeonghan’s heart all this time, and Mingyu was glad that the Alpha still trusted him to protect his beloved Omega.

“We’re going to save Jisoo-hyung. We’re going to bring him home. I promise, hyung…” the Alpha King of Gwangsan Kim vowed.

One last time.

Just one last time.

Jeonghan pulled him into a hug and savored their embrace with his eyes closed. “Thank you, Mingyu.”

This was going to be the last time…

* * *

The second sound of thunder rattling through the clouds fell on deaf ears.

In the throne room of the Aster Province, two Omegas were battling a lone Alpha in a fight to the death.

The glistening movement of a sword skirmished with watery ripples and waves. Music from a gayageum accompanied the vivace of the weapon, but the aerial daggers the stringed-instrument sent were hindered by an allegro of Adam’s ale.

Minghao was doing his best to find even just a fraction of an opening for the Second Prince to deliver a death blow, but the task was proving more difficult than they’d hoped for.

Longfei had a heightened mastery of his power, and though they were tiring him out with every minute that passed, the two Omegas were slowly becoming exhausted as well.

The Alpha created an even bigger wave this time and split it up to go in two different trajectories.One massive wave smashed into Jisoo’s gayageum, and the Second Prince was doused in an unforgiving torrent. The other wave, on the other hand, consumed Minghao and encased him in an orb.

The trapped Omega had managed to hold his breath at the last second, but he wasn’t going to last long with the scant amount of air he'd saved in his lungs. Minghao attempted to wriggle his way out of the watery sphere. However, the pressure inside was severely incapacitating his jerking limbs.

Even without any sort of weapon in his possession, Soonyoung felt his instincts take over, and his body automatically moved on its own. He immediately ran straight towards the Alpha and screamed, “Let him go!!!”

Longfei grinned menacingly as the Kwon Omega swiftly came closer and closer, and his fingers twitched into a claw as he prepared to seize Soonyoung by the neck and crush his windpipe.

But before he could lay a hand on the Omega prince, a fiery explosion detonated in front of Longfei, and the arm he’d used to shield his face was burnt all the way down to the muscle and bone.

Minghao was liberated from the watery prison, and he dropped to the ground heaving for air. He angrily sneered at the Alpha now howling in anguish. Longfei was cradling his torched arm, and he was seizing on the wooden floor from the mind-numbing pain.

Soonyoung gasped and stiffened in shock, but as his mind gradually realized where the fire had come from, he found the strength to turn his head. Right by the open doors, a tall and imposing Alpha made the room feel so much colder with just his intimidating gaze.

It was his king, his heart, and his everything - just as handsome and breathtaking as the day they first met.

“Mingyu!!!” the Omega prince cried in exaltation. He bounded into his lover’s arms and felt at ease as he sank into the warmth of Mingyu’s body.

Thank goodness.

The gods were indeed kind.

He could feel his Alpha again. He could feel everything that was connected to Mingyu - his emotions, his mind, and his essence.

They were all here once more…all for Soonyoung to cherish.

“I’m so sorry, Mingyu! I’m so sorry!!!”

“It’s alright, Soonyoung. I’m here now…”

“I love you…I love you so much…I don’t want to lose you…I can’t lose you or anyone in our family ever again…let’s just go. Please. No more fighting. Let’s all just go back to Firestorm Fortress.”

“…I don’t want to lose anyone either…”

The Alpha and Omega pair sadly peered into each other’s eyes, and Mingyu lightly peeled himself away from Soonyoung’s arms. He looked to his left and despondently observed as a weary Jisoo helped Minghao up onto his feet once more. The two of them looked battered and enervated, especially the Second Prince who looked deathly pale and ready to pass out any minute now.

Mingyu had been so focused on Soonyoung this entire time, and he’d lost sight of the other people who mattered to him too…

The Power of Fire wasn’t meant to protect only one person.

So many others needed him too.

_I’m sorry, Soonyoung._

“…but I need to avenge Junhui-hyung…I need to fight for my loved ones…I need to destroy our enemies…and I need to defend your home. I know how much you love your calico asters and your people…”

There were too many lives at stake.

There was so much more they needed to fight for.

As long as the mountain kingdoms reigned, the world would never know peace.

Soonyoung’s eyes began dripping with tears. He unclenched Mingyu’s robes and allowed his lover to saunter towards the throne.

Jonghyun leered at the Alpha King of Gwangsan Kim. Neither him nor his other allies here had expected Kim Mingyu to still be alive at this point in time. Choi Minki was supposed to see to his unfortunate end. “ _What did you do to Minki?_ ”

“He’s dead,” Mingyu answered ruthlessly, his calculating eyes sharply glinting at the enemy in front him. “…and you’re next.”

“Where is Minhyun?!” Longfei demanded, still writhing in pain on the floor. “I need Minhyun’s help!!!”

The Alpha from the Carnation Kingdom unsympathetically glared down at his comrade. “Get up, you idiot! I’m still waiting for the good show you promised me!!!”

Longfei roared in anger and forced himself to stand. He was still a wailing and slobbering mess from his severe injury, and the unforgiving burn was only making him more aggressive and psychotic.

“Come at me! All of you!” he barked out wildly, baring his teeth at every opponent in the room. “I’m not afraid of any of you!!!”

Despite his sore and belabored body, Minghao took his place next to Mingyu, sword ready to strike.

The Alpha smirked at his most trusted companion. “If he knocks you off your feet again, I’m demoting you.”

“ _Oh, please_ ,” the willowy Omega said with a snapping tone. “If he knocks _you_ off _your feet_ , I’m taking over your kingdom and kicking you out!”

“Deal,” Mingyu concurred, before he and Minghao charged at Longfei in unison.

* * *

Fire and water clashed together in a vicious war between two worlds.

The elements were discharged and dispelled relentlessly in the throne room, causing the windows to rattle and the floors to shake. The air surrounding them was becoming stifling as the temperature drastically changed almost every other second.

One Alpha had an extreme advantage over the other. Water was fire’s weakness, and the Alpha from the White Swan Empire was using his precedence well.

But the Alpha from Firestorm Fortress had an ally against his lone adversary. His Omega contemporary wielded a sword that gave Fu Longfei not a moment to relax.

If he was not negating Mingyu’s fire, he was evading Minghao’s strikes.

Against the two leaders of Gwangsan Kim’s army - the most formidable warriors in their entire kingdom, the fight should have been an easy victory.

However, even with two against one, Longfei was fending off both of them well.

“What’s wrong with you?! Why’s your fire so weak?!” Minghao screeched, before dodging an oncoming wave by leaping into the air like an acrobat.

Mingyu sent an even more powerful flame towards Longfei, but the Alpha killed it with his own violent deluge.

“I can’t incinerate him if he keeps making water! Cut his hands off!!!” Mingyu argued as he created a continuous barrage of flares aimed at Longfei’s head.

“I’m trying!!!” the willowy Omega shouted back.

Minghao slid across the floor and attempted to skewer their opponent from behind, but Longfei managed to block the stab with a wall of water. The barrier disintegrated into a torrent that flooded over Minghao, and the distraction bought Longfei time to drench Mingyu’s destructing blazes yet again.

Soonyoung was watching the nerve-wracking fight from afar, and at the corner of his eye, he noticed a stumbling form leaning against the wall for support. Jisoo was fatally out of breath, and his complexion was closer to grey than pink. Shocked by the Second Prince’s withered state, the Kwon Omega hurriedly dashed towards Jisoo and held him steady. “Hyung…are you okay?”

“I…I n-need t…to…he-help…” Jisoo muttered in between choked breaths, still trying to walk forward despite his obvious struggle.

“Hyung, you can hardly even stand!” Soonyoung remarked, attempting to block the Second Prince before he could get even more hurt. “Please don’t force yourself to fight like this.”

“I…ca…n’t…l-let my…f-f-frie…nds…fight…by the-themselves…”

Jisoo reached out for his broken gayageum, but the world started to spin before his eyes, andSoonyoung had to catch his body before his head could hit the floor.

“Jisoo-hyung!” Soonyoung cried, landing hard on his knees as he used every bit of strength to ease the Second Prince’s fall.

His vision became splotchy with dark circles and shadowy figures all around him, and a ringing in his ears drowned out the Kwon Omega’s alarmed wails.

The throbbing of his heart grew louder and louder, but all of the sudden, the erratic beating was snuffed out...and eerie, otherworldly sounds took over.

_It’s time…_

_It’s time, son…_

_It’s time to go, brother…_

_Jisoo…my darling child…I’ve missed you…_

_Second Prince…_

_Jisoo-hyung, we can all be together now…_

_Jisoo…you did well…you’re so brave…_

_Jisoo…_

_Jisoo..._

_Hong Jisoo..._

He couldn’t make out any of their faces, but the Omega knew to whom those voices belonged to.

All the dead members of Namyang Hong were here.

They had finally come for him.

_Hong Jisoo…it’s time. You can let go now…_

_You can let go…_

“N-No…I…w…on’t…” Jisoo responded defiantly to his oldest ancestor, his blurry vision clearing to the point where he could look straight into the god’s golden eyes. “Bul…gae…n-needs…me…”

The Third Brother took his hand and seized it firmly and comfortingly. “Your friends cannot take your pain away. You do not owe them any help.”

“…I kn-know…” the Omega answered raspily. “But…I l-love…them…and if…any of…you…e-ever l-loved…me… _give m-me strength_ … _he…lp me…fight_ … _do…n’t leave me…all alone again_ …”

The God of Wind turned to the other children of the Baeghab Nation, before gently smiling down at the Second Prince. “You were never alone…Jisoo…”

One by one, his clan members slowly disappeared into the wind, and the Third Brother gave him one final message before vanishing with the rest of their family. “Show them the Power of Namyang Hong.”

“Hyung?” Soonyoung uttered worriedly as Jisoo stared blankly into the air and grasped at nothing.

* * *

Mingyu stood his ground as another current extinguished his fires and beat down on his body. Instead of making another fire, this time, he charged forward and grappled Longfei’s torso. The two Alphas fell to the floor, and Mingyu threw succeeding punches at the other man’s face.

Longfei summoned the water on the floor into his palm and pushed Mingyu back with a large blast - concentrated in the middle of his chest. The King of Gwangsan Kim was thrown off, but Minghao jumped into the air to plunge his weapon into Longfei’s body.

However, their foe stopped the sword with a shield of water before it could sink into his skin, and even as Minghao weighed the blade down with his own body, it could not penetrate the watery obstacle.

Still, he would not withdraw, and he kept using his strength to force the weapon to break the shield. Instead, cracks slowly began running up the expanse of the sword.

Longfei countered with another large burst of water. The blade shattered all the way to the hilt, and Minghao slammed against the ceiling.

Before he could plummet to the wooden floors, Mingyu caught him, and they both toppled together in an inundated heap.

“Is it frightening? To be so close to death’s door? Or is it exhilarating?” Longfei asked with an eldritch timbre, as he gazed down at his two blanched and haggard opponents. “What is it like, Minghao? Does it comfort you to know that you will soon be reunited with my stupid cousin?”

The willowy Omega leered at him as he sat up and spat water mixed with blood at the Alpha’s feet.

Longfei slapped him across the face for his disrespect, and Minghao slapped him twice as hard in retaliation.

Before the Alpha could angrily pour another deluge over his two enemies, a howling wind made its presence known.

It first brushed against the back of Longfei’s exposed neck, sending shivers down his body as it whispered mortifying things in his ears like a sinister ghost. It drifted over his skin, and all at once, started nicking him like tiny sickles. Cuts began appearing all over the Alpha’s body, and he thrashed around and sent orbs of water in different directions to fight off his invisible assailant.

As the air swirled all around him and underneath his clothes, he didn’t notice that he was being boxed in and forced into one place. The wind grew stronger and stronger, until he was trapped in the eye of a blustering gale.

Longfei couldn’t break through the tempest with his water and, once again, began cursing and floundering around like a mad person. “Hong Jisoo!!! Let me out of here!!! Let me out of here, you pathetic insect!!!”

“Mingyu,” Jisoo called out, and without any empathy for the fiend trapped in his clutches, he turned to his Alpha friend and said, “Torch him.”

The Alpha King of Gwangsan Kim evoked a raging fire, and the flames joined the swirling winds.

Soon, a firestorm was blazing around Longfei’s body, and he could not extinguish it from the inside no matter how hard he tried. With two elements combined, his water wasn’t strong enough to neutralize the flames, and so the conflagration was slowly and agonizingly roasting him to death.

“Jonghyun!!! Jonghyun, help me!!!” Longfei helplessly screamed over and over again as the fires licked and seared his skin.

Soon, he was going to be nothing but an ember in a dying flame, and the world would be rid of another horrible monster.

Minghao finally felt his breathing ease.

There was only one more foe they needed to face.

When the members of Firestorm Fortress turned to the Alpha sitting on the throne, Kim Jonghyun simply smiled back at them as if his companion wasn’t being burned alive.

A flash of thunder and lightning stole the attention in the room and startled almost everyone inside.

“Jeonghan-hyung is back!” Mingyu sanguinely proclaimed.

…But he was wrong.

“That’s not Jeonghan…” Jisoo remarked, his wide and frightened eyes peering outside an open window.

Minghao knew right away from the smell in the air. “Oh god…”

The skies rumbled and groaned without repose, and soon, the heavens began its wretched weeping.

Jonghyun titled his head and smiled even wider. “Would you look at that? _It’s raining…_ ”

And rain only meant _more water_.

Soonyoung gasped.

Mingyu turned around to look at him.

“Mingy-” he began to cry out, but before the Omega could finish his lover’s name, Longfei drew in the ferocious downpour through the windows, and a flash flood doused every inch of the throne room.

* * *

When the Prince of Andong Kwon opened his eyes again, he was lying in pool of water.

Soonyoung managed to lift his throbbing head, but he didn’t have enough strength to push himself off the floor.

He could see Jisoo still fighting against Longfei with his wind, but the overpowering force of the Alpha’s water was pulverizing him at different angles. He was doing the best he could to shield Mingyu and Minghao from the torrents, but there was too much water for him to handle all at the same time.

The Power of Fire would no longer erupt from Mingyu’s sopping wet form, and Minghao was drifting in and out of consciousness in the Alpha’s arms.

There was just too much water, and none of them had enough strength or power to win this fight.

It was over. 

They were going to lose.

All four of them were going to die.

“You can save them you know…”

Soonyoung feebly looked up to his right and found Kim Jonghyun looking down at him. “You can save them…” the Alpha repeated languidly with a simper.

“H-How?” the Omega prince asked, even though they both knew exactly what this monster wanted.

“All you have to do is jump off the roof and plunge to your death. You could do at least that to save the people you love…right, Soonyoung?”

To save his kingdom.

To save his parents.

To save his friends.

To save his family.

To save Mingyu…

Was there anything he wouldn’t do for his Alpha?

The Alpha who had loved him and given him a home? The Alpha who’d given him a real family?

He owed Mingyu so much.

He owed Firestorm Fortress and all its dwellers far too much.

The least he could do was die for them, just as they would die for him.

Soonyoung sighed.

Maybe this had been his true fate all along.

Maybe, just like dead his siblings, he was not meant to live a long and happy life.

“Let’s go up to the roof then…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :'(


	30. Chapter 30

_Falling towards you, I want to see you right now. Someday, surely, you’d be in my heart._

_I am a flower…_

_I believe in letting beautiful flowers bloom._

_Gazing at the blue sky, blooming once again, I want to be someone’s everything._

_I’d lived for the moment,_

_but I knew that everything had a meaning once I met you._

_Between the time when flowers bloom and scatter, scars heal and sprouts emerge._

_We live for this moment, the first and last._

_That's why I won't take you for granted, because you love somebody like me…_

_I am a flower._

_I’m falling towards you now…_

_-Seventeen, Fallin’ Flower (2020)_

_The fate of other gods was something Dokyeom did not have the privilege to see. He wasn’t a father or a creator of other deities, and so he never bothered wondering about immortals and their endless futures. Even his own tomorrow was a fate he could not peer into, but again, there was little peril to worry about for someone as powerful as he was._

_Now though, the God of Fate felt like he’d only been an arrogant fool all this time._

_Because he should have forced himself to become more powerful - more powerful than even the greatest seer in all the heavenly skies. If he had honed his skills and reached the pinnacle mastery of his gifts, maybe he could have seen what was to come._

_On the day he’d returned from his entrusted pilgrimage for the Almighty One, Dokyeom found the enchanted gates to his precious garden ruthlessly decimated and defaced. His entire body had been locked in place by the terror that weighed his limbs down, and when he finally found the strength to break free from his shock, Dokyeom bolted into the garden and quickly began examining each of the flower beds._

_He knew right away which deplorable deity had forced his way in, and the God of Fate could only hope that his children had not been harmed yet again._

_Dokyeom managed to calm down slowly as he found that most of them were fine. There was no sign of the Dark Entity of Death still within their midst, but once he reached the deeper part of his garden, the god saw a harrowing sight he never thought he would ever witness._

_Eunwoo - the God of Flowers and the love of his life - was lying on the ground and weakly reaching out for the dying calico asters next to him. The skin on his face was whey-like and robbed of its radiant glow. Tears were leaking from his eyes, both of which had lost their golden sheen and been replaced by a dull and dark brown. Even in this way, his outward appearance was still unspeakably beautiful, but his afflicted expression masked the handsomeness in his features and reflected only the pain he felt inside._

_The God of Fate sank to his knees beside his lover and cried, “Eunwoo!!! What happened?!”_

_“…You’re…back…” Eunwoo muttered with a feeble smile, as he was gently pulled into Dokyeom’s arms. “I…m-missed you…”_

_“Eunwoo, w-why…why are you s-so pale?” the god’s voice trembled as he spoke. This didn’t feel right at all. He knew there was something wrong, and a part of him knew exactly what it was. He could feel it in the pit of his stomach, but he couldn’t accept it. He wanted to be wrong. He had to be wrong._

_Because if he were right…_

_If what he was thinking were right…_

_“…you’re crying, Eunwoo…tell me where it hurts and we’ll fix it…we’ll find a way to fix this…”_

_The God of Flowers slowly released his smile. “I…I’m crying?”_

_“You are…b-but…it’s fine…it’s alright to cry when something hurts…” Dokyeom reassured him, because this was all he could do to comfort his beloved. Though he was a powerful being, he had never felt as useless and impuissant as he did now. “D-Don’t worry, Eunwoo. Everything will be fine…you’ll be alright…everything will be okay…”_

_He was in denial, because he couldn’t handle the truth._

_Dokyeom delicately cupped the side Eunwoo’s face with his hand. “W-We’re gods…we have nothing to fear…w-we…we are immortal…”_

_The God of Flowers shed even more tears. “I can’t feel anything anymore…”_

_Those words made Dokyeom lose every last bit of control he had over his own devastated emotions._

_“Why aren’t you healing?!” he angrily shouted, sobbing like he’d never did before. “You’re the Bright Entity of Life, aren’t you?!!! You’re just as strong as Death itself. You can’t die!!! You’re not supposed to die!!!”_

_“I’m sorry, Dokyeom…but he…touched me…and Life and Death cannot touch…”_

_It was known throughout the realms that if either Life or Death placed a hand on the other, the one who received the touch would be destroyed._

_Now, Eunwoo was succumbing to an otherworldly death._

_He had already lost his light. Soon, he would lose his immortality, his essence, and then finally, his celestial body._

_Though life would still continue, nothing else would be left of the god once called the Bright Entity._

_He would become nothing but a memory for Dokyeom to agonize over for the rest of time._

_“How could you let him do this to you?! Didn’t you say you wanted to be with me forever?! Why didn’t you run away?! Why didn’t you fight back?! Why did you let him do this?!”_

_Eunwoo hadn’t been fair. He’d been so wonderful and sweet and patient all this time. He’d made Dokyeom fall for him, and now, he was going to leave when the God of Fate had irrevocably become his._

_It was such a cruel thing to do for someone so good._

_It hurt even more knowing that neither of them could do anything now that the damage had been done._

_“Dokyeom…please don’t be sad…it’s alright…”_

_“No! No, it’s not!” the God of Fate argued, because he just couldn’t let go._

_Not like this._

_“How could he?! He said he loved you, didn’t he? How could he do this to someone he claims to love???”_

_Death did not know love._

_Death would never know love, because he was incapable of such a thing._

_No one would ever hurt someone they love like this._

_“I don’t have much time left…” the God of Flowers whispered. “Stay with me…please…?”_

_Yet another cruel thing to ask for._

_Why did goodbyes have to hurt so much?_

_Dokyeom sighed heavily and sniffled before answering, “Of course I will. Anything for you.”_

_Eunwoo found the strength to curl his lips once more. It was the pleasant and pretty smile he always wore whenever they were together. “Dokyeom…take my tears…”_

_“Eunwoo-”_

_“Dokyeom, hurry,” the God of Flowers interrupted. Despite the weakness of his murmurs, there was a heavy urgency in his tone, and it made Dokyeom heed his request immediately._

_“…O-okay…okay…” His fingers pulled out a vial from his inner robes, and he pressed the glass against Eunwoo’s cheek, catching the last shining drop that escaped his left eye._

_Dokyeom capped the vial with a rubber stopper and looked to his lover once more. “What should I do with it?”_

_“Give my tears…to your calico asters.”_

_He turned to the flowers next them and felt even more saddened by their greying leaves and petals. “I know you mean well, but you know I cannot do that.”_

_When it came to the lives of humans, even the gods were bound by rules._

_No god was allowed to interfere with what was already meant to be._

_The calico asters on earth were part of a dying clan. Their line was going to end with the current Alpha King of Andong Kwon. This was the fate their family had been destined to face._

_“If…you cannot save…at least one…then…are you truly the God of Fate?”_

_How much crueler could his lover be?_

_Dokyeom had asked himself that question so many times before._

_The Almighty One had given all of his creations the freedom to do as they pleased, but those who strayed from the righteous path were bound to face a harsh judgment._

_But…what was the righteous path?_

_What was truly right or wrong?_

_Was it right for the other gods to poison his children?_

_Was it right for the Almighty One to create Death and allow mortals to suffer?_

_Was it wrong for Dokyeom to watch his flowers wither away when he could no longer help them?_

_Or was it wrong for him to have created them in the first place?_

_Who was right?_

_Who was wrong?_

_Dokyeom didn’t even know anymore._

_Eunwoo, on the other hand, had taken his stance a long time ago, and he always chose to do what his heart told him to over everything else. “Just this once…save your children from a treacherous fate they don’t deserve…”_

_The God of Fate wished he had chosen to do the same thing a long time ago. “…there’s only enough to nourish one…”_

_“Then…give it to the withering bud…” Eunwoo continued muttering. His eyes could no longer make more tears, and his body was becoming colder and colder. “The poor thing had just sprouted…I don’t want him to die…Please, Dokyeom. Don’t let him die…”_

_The sprout was going to be a boy._

_Dokyeom had not even known that yet, but somehow…his lover did._

_A new future began shifting right before his eyes, and it was so different from the one he’d seen before._

_There was still much tragedy and death. There was still darkness and agony and sorrow._

_But there was also something bright…_

_When the visions finally ended, the God of Fate felt even more tears run down his face. He wiped them away and drew his lover in closer. “I will make sure he does not die…just…let me hold you for a little while longer…”_

_They stayed like this for a quiet moment, savoring the final seconds they had with each other._

_Eunwoo’s essence was dwindling away, making his body even weaker than before._

_“I’m sorry, Dokyeom…” he apologized in a hushed breath, intertwining their fingers one last time. “I really thought we would be together forever…”_

_The God of Fate pressed his lips against the top of Eunwoo’s head and whispered back. “Don’t say sorry. You’ve done nothing wrong. You’ve only given me joy since the day you entered my garden.”_

_“I’m glad…you made me very happy as well…” Eunwoo chuckled almost inaudibly._

_His eyes were drooping, and his hand was barely clutching Dokyeom’s now, but the other god still held on._

_He was going to hold on until their time was up._

_“Dokyeom…I want to become a star…” he said slowly, eyes finally closing - never to open again. “…so I can always watch over you…and all your children…”_

_Eunwoo’s smile was long gone, and only a small fragment of him was still inside._

_“T-Then you shall be…the brightest star in the sky,” Dokyeom stated as he fought to speak through his own weeping. He stared down at his lover’s peaceful face. “I love you, Eunwoo…”_

_“I…love you too…Dokyeom…” the Bright Entity of Life said before falling into an eternal slumber._

* * *

After Eunwoo passed away, the God of Fate poured the glimmering tear he’d collected on the withering calico aster bud. In response, the grey-tinge on the sapling disappeared, and it took on an ethereal glow from the pure essence of life it had been gifted with.

Dokyeom then sealed the gates to his garden forever, so that no one - not even him - could ever enter it, and no other god could dirty his and Eunwoo’s special place ever again.

He sought the help of the Goddess of the Night Sky to fulfill his lover’s dying wish, and with her divine powers, she began the intricate process of transforming Eunwoo’s remains into a heavenly body.

After severals months, the goddess succeeded in her arduous creation, and the former God of Flowers finally rose up into the evening sky as a vivid, beaming star.

On that very same summer’s night, a prince was born in the Aster Province.

The king and queen named him Soonyoung, and he became the only surviving son born into the Clan of Andong Kwon.

“Your child is so beautiful, Eunwoo,” Dokyeom remarked as he lovingly cradled the newborn baby in his arms. The wet nurse was asleep in a chair, and the guards were dozing off outside the prince’s room.

The god walked towards the open windows and gazed up at a particular twinkling star in the heavens. “…and you’ll get to watch him grow each day…”

Dokyeom wished he could do the same, but for now, he had to leave Soonyoung and journey elsewhere.

All his other children needed him as well, and though he could not protect each and everyone of them from the magic of the other gods, the God of Fate knew he could still roam the earth and guide them as best as he could.

Even though Eunwoo was gone, his powers had already been deeply engraved into the three realms.

Life would still go on, just as death would still continue even if the Dark Entity were destroyed.

The world was bleak and arbitrary. It was vicious and vile, and in so many places, there was only darkness and desolation, without a glimmer of hope to be found.

But Dokyeom knew that, over time, it would become brighter.

As grueling of a wait as it would be, there was a wonderful future awaiting his children - one where the world would recognize Alphas, Betas, and Omegas as equals. One where starvation was no longer a problem, and different nations would no longer wage wars against each other.

Eventually, there would be paradise on earth.

All in time.

Until then, however, there were still many tragedies to come, and Dokyeom was going to stay here to guide his children towards a resplendent future.

As for the Dark Entity…

Dokyeom wished to avenge his lover, but it was the fate of another to conquer his nemesis…

Because just as the Dark Entity had the touch of death, the one meant to defeat him had the touch of _life_ …

* * *

A blue flash of lightning struck the ground in the outskirts of the city, and with it, a stunning group of men dressed in nightshade garments appeared. They were immediately soaked by the thunderstorm, but the unexpected shower did nothing to dampen their exquisite looks. It did, however, make them teeth-chatter from the cold.

“Oh my goodness!!!” Seungkwan yelped, loud enough to be heard by everyone despite the rain, which only attested to how sonorous his voice truly was. “H-Hyung!!! How did you do that?!”

Jeonghan coiled and tucked his whip away while replying, “I told you, it’s magic! Just like Mingyu’s fire!”

“That was amazing!” Seungcheol exclaimed in profound awe.

Jihoon, on the other hand, begged to differ. The lightning-quick trip had left him queasy and just about ready to throw up the rice he just ate. “No! That was awful! I’m never doing that again!” 

“S-So this is the A-Aster Province?!” Chan clamored through the downpour, shivering from the frigidness. The poor Omega hadn’t fully recovered yet, but he wasn’t going to sit on the sidelines while his family members needed help.

“Yes!!! Carnation Kingdom has taken over! We have to save the people!!!” Jeonghan shouted back.

“Hyung!!! Jeonghan-hyung!!!” Seokmin wailed from afar, running towards to citizens of Firestorm Fortress. “We have to hurry! The soldiers have started loading the civilians into wagons! Kim Jonghyun is going to sell them to the other kingdoms!”

Hansol snarled furiously at this unsettling news. He had never been someone easily angered, but when it came to situations like these, it always hit an unhealed wound in his chest. He’d almost lost Seungkwan to the barbarians of human selling, and they had no right to scalp innocent people who belonged to no one but themselves. “We’ll follow your lead, Jeonghan-hyung! Just tell us what to do!!!”

The Alpha from the Moon Shadow Village nodded and drew them all closer together. With furrowed brows, his eyes swept around their circle quickly.

They had to neutralize Kim Jonghyun’s men first before he could aid Mingyu and see Jisoo again.

Jeonghan had Seungcheol, Jihoon, Seokmin, Seungkwan, Hansol, and Chan with him, and they were more than enough to liberate the Aster Province from Carnation Kingdom’s men. That was how confident he was in their team.

“Alright, listen up! Here’s the plan!”

* * *

They had to force Carnation Kingdom’s men out of the city.

Kim Jonghyun hadn’t brought his entire army with him, but the number of Alpha soldiers present was still high enough to oppress a small city.

Most of the Aster Province’s own guards were either already dead or incapacitated and locked in cages. So if they wanted to successfully drive the enemies out of the kingdom, they had to convince the civilians to fight and take back their home.

The torrential rain was still relentlessly beating down on the earth, making everything cold and wet and brutal for those at the mercy of the skies.

The citizens of the Aster Province were huddled together in their confinements, sobbing and sniveling as they feared for their lives and the safety of their children.

A lot of the soldiers were still in the city, hoarding more of the common folk and whatever valuables they had, but some of them were now preparing to transport their captives in a large array of wagons.

“Hey, you missed one of the Aster spawns, idiot!” an Alpha captain roared at one of his subordinates, spotting an unshackled boy standing right in front of the open gates.

“I’m not a kid, you asshole!” Jihoon loudly asserted before throwing a rock at the Alpha leader’s head and making a run for it.

The stone hit the soldier smack-dead in the center of his forehead, and he bellowed in unsuppressed wrath. “Why, you little- Get him! I want him tied to a horse and dragged all the way to the White Swan Empire!!!”

A bunch of the men scampered after Jihoon and rounded the corner of the city walls, leaving the rest of their comrades to continue loading the carriages.

While they’d been distracted, Hansol had snuck his way to the front of the wagons. Without drawing any attention, he swiftly unlatched the stallions from their breeching straps and guided the steads into the forest. The pacifist Alpha removed the rest of their riding gears, allowing them to gallop away to freedom all together.

When the Alpha captain and his men finally returned their attentions to the carriages, they were dumbstruck by the horses’ disappearance.

“Where are the horses?! Who let them loose?!” their leader demanded to know, his intimidating voice loud and threatening enough to make all his men cower in fear. “Who was in charge of tying them to the breeches?”

“I-It was m-m-me, captain,” one of the soldiers stepped forward, and the Alpha leader struck him down with a single punch to the face.

“Useless piece of shit!!!”

The captain stepped over the unconscious soldier and pointed to a group of the guards. “You two! Come with me! We’re taking the horses from the royal palace!”

The two Alphas immediately rushed to their leader’s side, and the three of them went back into the city gates.

With only a few soldiers left behind to watch the cages, Seokmin decided that now was the perfect time for him to strike.

He emerged from the bushes and glared at the Alphas.

Right away, they noticed the Beta’s encroachment, and the five men surrounded him with their swords pointed at his neck.

“Drop all your valuables and get on your knees!” one of them ordered, drawing his blade even closer to Seokmin’s skin. “Do it now or we’ll slice your throat!”

However, this did not scare the Beta at all, and as his golden eyes enchantingly glistened against the falling rain, he gave his children the stern admonition they should have heard a long time ago. “ _I am so disappointed in all of you._ ”

The five Alphas had not expected themselves to be startled by those words. The inside of their bodies twisted with dismay, and the frowns on their faces contorted deeper in emotional pain.

Each of them were irked at how a harmless-looking Beta could affect them in this way.

“W-What did you say?!” another soldier aggressively responded, forcing himself to sound menacing despite the unexplainable shame drowning his heart.

“ _I can’t believe you’re all doing this. You know better than to hurt innocent people. Don’t any of you feel remorse? What kind of Alphas are you?!_ ” Seokmin continued to rebuke them, and his voice reverberated into the Alphas’ ears and invoked memories of being scolded by their parents.

“I-If we don’t do this, o-our families will suffer the same fate!” the tallest Alpha soldier protested.

The burly man next to him contended with the same concerns. “We can’t let our wives get raped and our children become slaves of another nation!”

Seokmin knitted his brows at them. “ _Then, leave. Now. Gather your families and seek refuge in Firestorm Fortress._ ”

“But that’s an enemy state! We will be fed to the Alpha king’s hounds if we go there!”

“ _You won’t. Trust me. Leave now or you will all die today, and you will never see any of your loved ones ever again._ ”

The frowning soldiers first turned to look at each other, before one of the Alphas grew brave enough to drop his weapon. The rest of them followed suit afterwards and detached their breastplates engraved with carnations, marking the end of their servitude and allegiance to the vicious King of the Carnation Kingdom. The five of them absconded from their post, leaving behind the captives…and an entire carriage filled with accoutrements.

The Beta’s eyes practically twinkled at the loot hidden underneath a thick oilcloth, and while he dug through the treasure trove, Hansol and Seungkwan began breaking the locks on the civilians’ cages.

The common folk rushed out of their confinements, and some of them were reunited with their young children and babies. However, a lot of the other Alphas, Betas, and Omegas still had family members inside the city, and they were unsure of what to do and where to go.

“The revolution has begun!” Seokmin announced, already armed with a bow and a quiver of arrows. He dumped a crate full of weapons in front of the civilians. “Pick whichever one you like! Just don’t accidentally poke your own eye out!”

Though uncertain, the citizens of the Aster Province each collected a weapon of their choice, but many of them had never even held these swords, axes, mallets, flails, and maces before.

There wasn’t going to be any time for training right now, but as Minghao would say, if you really want to live…you’ll find a way to survive.

Hansol trotted up next to Seokmin and yelled, “I know many of you are scared, and we are not forcing you to fight! But there are more of you than there are enemy soldiers! If we stand together, we can all save your children and force these monsters out of your homeland!”

“Everyone! Follow me!!!” Seungkwan bayed, waving at the gates and coaxing the citizens to follow him back into the city.

“Why should we listen an Omega?!” an Alpha citizen argued, and his other Alpha brethren, especially the wounded Aster Province guards, reflected the same resistance in their expressions.

Before Seungkwan could answer, he spotted a soldier dressed in black and silver sprinting towards him. “Hansol!!!” he cried out to his lover.

The pacifist Alpha threw a shield in his hands in the Omega’s direction. Seungkwan adeptly caught the painted, circular shield and barreled straight into the oncoming enemy. The soldier had the wind knocked out of him upon impact, and Seungkwan easily flipped him over his head and tossed him onto the ground.

“Well why _wouldn’t_ you listen to an Omega?” Hansol proudly spoke, smirking at how the citizens gaped at Seungkwan in disbelief.

Beyond the gates, the citizens could also see another Omega- Chan - wielding two swords in each hand and fighting against three different Alphas all at once. The small boy who’d infuriated a captain from the Carnation Kingdom earlier - Jihoon - was now hanging onto that very same Alpha leader’s back and repeatedly stabbing him in the neck, all the while roaring as if he were an Alpha himself.

“Who the hell are you people?!” a bewildered Beta civilian squawked.

Seokmin grinned in response and said, “We’re Prince Soonyoung’s friends,” before he and Hansol ran off into the city to help with the rest of the uprising.

An Omega woman gasped. “ _Prince Soonyoung_?!”

The common folk were set abuzz by this unexpected revelation.

“ _Our Omega prince?_ ” 

“Prince Soonyoung has not forgotten us?”

“ _Is he really here?!_ ”

“Has he really come back to help us?”

“Come on, let’s go!” Seungkwan shouted again, and this time, no one dared to ask anymore questions. Emboldened by what they’d witnessed, the Omegas of the Aster Province were the first to valiantly follow Seungkwan. The Alphas and Betas quickly trailed after them, not wanting to be outdone by their timid counterparts.

* * *

“Stop it!!! Just stop it!!!” Jisoo hoarsely shouted at Longfei. The Second Prince was sprawled on the floor, battered and bleeding from his mouth.

Mingyu was shielding the Omega from the endless barrage of water being controlled by Longfei.

The Alpha’s fire had completely been snuffed out by the onslaught, and he could no longer feel any sort of warmth within his core.

Minghao managed to crawl his way to Longfei’s feet, and despite the immense fatigue of his body, he persistently struck his fist against the enemy Alpha’s toes. “ _I’m…going…to kill you!_ ”

“Shut up, you pest!” Longfei screeched, before kicking the willowy Omega’s hand away.

“Jonghyun told you to stop!!! Why won’t you just stop?!!!” Jisoo wailed, tearing up as he watched Mingyu’s face cloud with lethargy and acquiescence.

“Because I don’t have to take orders from anyone!!!” the Alpha roared as his assault on the King of Gwangsan Kim continued.

“Mingyu…get out of the way! _Please_!!!” the Second Prince commanded him, but his friend refused to budge, saying nothing as he kept taking on the heavy plummeting against his enervated form. “Mingyu…please…you don’t have save me! Jeonghan will understand! Let me die instead, Mingyu. You can save yourself if you get out of the way!”

“I…promised…I w-would…bring you…home…” the Alpha king mumbled back with a foggy breath.

It was too cold.

Everything was too cold now.

Even Jisoo could feel how cold his dear friend was.

“ _B-Bulgae…_ ” the Omega prince whimpered, eyes flooding with an outpour of hot tears.“Bulgae…don’t leave me again…”

_Bulgae._

Something poignant stirred inside Mingyu upon hearing that name yet again. He’d long since forgotten how it felt for Jisoo to say it with such pain, and it hurt so much more than it did when Choi Minki had spoken it.

He wasn’t just Kim Mingyu, the King of Gwangsan Kim.

He was also Bulgae, and the hearing cognomen always came with a flurry of dark and distant memories.

_“This boy has no one left in his life…”_

_“I’m going to miss wrapping my arms around you like this…”_

_“Bulgae, get up! Come on!”_

_“Yah, Bulgae! You’re my friend! I can’t leave you behind!”_

_“Do you know what a Bulgae is, child?”_

_“Mine…he is my Bulgae…”_

_“I believe in you…”_

_Bulgae._

_The two celestial bodies had yet to be conquered, and the gods above were all vying to be the first to claim their powers._

_If he could retrieve the sun and moon, there would be no end for him, and he would become invincible._

The sun…

…and the moon.

_A scorching trial…and a glacial snare…_

He had eaten them both, but all this time, he’d only been fighting with the strength of the sun - the Gift of the First Brother. The Power of Fire.

Mingyu had forgotten.

Or rather, he had failed to realize…

…that he also had the power of the _moon_ …

His eyes widened in cognizance, and the temperature in his body dipped even lower than before.

“Why did Kwak Youngmin even bother trying to get the First Brother’s Power?! It’s practically useless against my superior gift!!!” Longfei blazoned as the grin on his face grew wider and wider. “You’re finished, mutt!!! You’ve lost!!!”

His arrogance did not allow him to notice the throne room becoming as bone-bitingly cold as winter, and only when he’d attempted to move closer to Mingyu, Longfei realized that the water beneath his boots had iced over his feet.

He attempted to lift his legs out of the ice, but no matter how much force he used, the Alpha couldn’t free himself from the entrapment.

“Who did this?!” Longfei sneered and turned to Minghao once more. “Did you do this, whore? Release me this instant!”

Clutching at the side of his ribcage, the willowy Omega rushed to his feet and backed away from the two Alphas. He watched as the ice glazed over the water surrounding Longfei, and his eyes widened in astonishment. 

Gwangsan Kim truly did have the most powerful sovereign in all the land.

“ _No, you’re the one who’s been defeated…_ ”

Longfei glared down at Mingyu to retaliate and found the Alpha King of Gwangsan Kim scowling back at him.

He slowly stood up, still shielding his face from the water with his arm. The trembling of his body had dissipated, and his intimidating gaze was defiant and colder than ever before.

“How dare you look at me like that?! I am a king! A true king! You’re nothing!” Longfei bellowed pathetically.

The overpowering torrent continued shooting out of his palms, but once the Mingyu had grabbed hold of both of the Alpha’s arms, the water froze around his upper limbs.

“ _This is for Wen Junhui_ ,” Mingyu stated, his frigid stare paralyzing Longfei with fear.

The Alpha couldn’t even squirm out of Mingyu’s grasp. For the first time in his life, he was completely frightened, because Longfei knew he had been beaten.

He was going to die.

“No…no…no…No! No! Nooooo!!!!” he begged and wept as ice began crawling up his entire body. 

The leader of the White Swan Empire couldn’t even release a scream as his chest, neck, and face agonizingly frosted over and brought him to a permanent quietus.

The water on the floor stilled, and the deluge was finally over.

Mingyu released Longfei’s arms and peered into his own hands, before sighing in relief.

No wonder he’d been feeling so cold. His body had been trying to reveal its secret power to him this entire time.

The warmth in his core was slowly returning, but he could now feel the sharpness of the ice inside him as well.

Both powers were creating a balance deep beneath his skin, and he felt at ease with their peaceful amalgamation.

Jisoo carefully got up and brushed the icicles off of their wet clothes. He nodded in Minghao’s direction, wiping at the tears on his face and the blood on his lips, as he eyed Longfei’s unmoving form.

The fight was over.

Gwangsan Kim had won against the White Swan Empire.

The three of them could now breathe without being drowned by water.

“Don’t bother explaining,” Minghao pettily cut Mingyu off before he could even say anything. “I thought we were two peas in a pod, but I guess you keep secrets even from me. I’m offended that you wouldn’t even trust me with the knowledge of your second power.”

“To be fair, I only realized I had this power today,” the Alpha mentioned, chuckling as the willowy Omega eyed him disdainfully.

“Well, the legends did say that the First Brother had taken a wife from the Ice Lands,” Jisoo helpfully interjected. “Maybe you’d inherited her gift as well.”

Minghao rolled his eyes. “Of course. _The sun and the moon._ You told us that story so many times. We should have figured that out a long time ago!”

Mingyu fondly smiled at the willowy Omega and then at the Second Prince. “Thank you, hyung.”

“For what, Mingyu?” the Second Prince asked in confusion.

“For helping me remember my second gift…”

Jisoo’s lips curled into a smile as well. He hurriedly staggered towards the Alpha king and hugged him as tightly as he could.

“You people are gross…” the willowy Omega savagely commented, and his offensive remark only made the two friends laugh and pull a reluctant Minghao into their embrace.

“Okay!!! Okay, I get it!” Minghao groused, practically clawing his way out of their affectionate moment.

He straightened his disheveled clothes, and as his hands wrung out each of the soaked layers, Minghao’s thoughts returned to their frozen foe.

Longfei was iced over from head to toe, but if there was a small possibility that he could still be alive underneath the ice, the willowy Omega wasn’t willing to take any chances.

So Minghao ended Fu Longfei’s terror once and for all with an aerial kick that smashed the Alpha’s body into tiny ice crystals.

After landing gracefully onto his feet, the Omega turned to his companions and said, “Alright, let’s get out of here.”

Neither Jisoo nor Mingyu had any objections to that.

As the three made their way out of the throne room, the Alpha king caught a glimpse of a glowing orb materializing from Longfei’s icy remains.

“Hold on,” Mingyu stated, brows furrowing as the orb traveled over the expanse of water that had flooded the room. It seemed to be searching for something. “Is…is that-”

“The Power of Water,” Jisoo confirmed, following the agitated orb with his gaze. It was easy for him to figure out what it was looking for, so he turned to his Omega contemporary. “Minghao, you should take it.”

A power needed a host after all, and it would be best for everyone if it fell into the right hands this time around.

But when the willowy Omega swooped down to catch the orb, it glided past him and rushed out through the doors.

“Where is it going?!” Minghao grunted in frustration.

“Let’s find out,” the Alpha king suggested, and the three of them hastily trotted after the wayward power.

* * *

“Look, it’s Mingyu-hyung!” Seokmin shouted after he spotted the Alpha running after a flying orb from afar. A soldier was creeping up behind the Beta, but Seokmin side-stepped and thwacked him on the head with his bow before the enemy could strike him down.

“He’s with Jisoo and Minghao!” he immediately added, and that, of course, caught Jeonghan’s attention.

“ _Jisoo?!_ ” the Alpha yelped, turning around and quickly spotting the Second Prince and Minghao scurrying behind their Alpha king. Jeonghan swiftly impaled his opponent in the stomach and dragged Seokmin by the arm so they could run after Jisoo together.

“Jeonghan-hyung?!” Chan called out when he noticed the shrewd Alpha and their only Beta friend storming into the palace grounds.

“Where are they going?!” Seungcheol exclaimed, and soon, the other members of Firestorm Fortress were watching curiously as Jeonghan ran off without a single explanation.

* * *

They were led to another edifice behind the main palace, but once they entered the main doorway, the trailing light of the orb was nowhere to be seen.

“It’s in here somewhere,” Minghao remarked, eyes searching left and right down the corridors.

What, or rather, _who_ could have drawn the Power of Water to this part of the palace?

Before they could begin climbing the steps to the upper floors, Jeonghan and Seokmin came bursting through the doors they’d entered from mere seconds ago.

“Jisoo!!!” the Alpha from the Moon Shadow Village cried out.

The Second Prince turned to the source of the familiar voice, and his expression automatically lit up with unmatched jubilation. “Jeonghan!!!”

The two lovers were reunited at last, and they wasted no time in enclosing themselves in each other’s arms.

“Jisoo, are you alright? Are you hurt?!”

“I’m fine, Jeonghan,” the Omega prince responded balmily. “Just a little tired that’s all.”

“Jeonghan-hyung…” Mingyu uttered, and the two Alphas jovially grinned at one another. “We’re all together again…”

“Thanks to you,” Jeonghan said, cradling Jisoo in one arm and ruffling Mingyu’s hair with his other hand.

Seokmin sighed at the lovely view, and though it was such a sweet reunion, he couldn’t help but prematurely mourn for the three friends. They had been doomed from the very beginning, but no matter how difficult things became, they always found a way back to each other.

They’d already gone through so much. The least Seokmin could do was allow them to enjoy one last, joyous moment together.

Sadly…the tenderness of the moment could only be short-lived, because right now, they all had to do something very important.

“I don’t want to dampen the mood…but we have to keep following the orb,” Minghao unhappily interposed. “It started glowing again, and it’s reached the bottom floor.”

“What’s going on with this orb thing?” Jeonghan queried as they trudged down the staircase.

“It’s the Power of Water,” Jisoo answered.

“We’ll explain everything later, hyung,” Mingyu said. “First, we need to make sure none of our other enemies try to take it.”

The group journeyed down into the basement, and they found one room beaming from the glowing light of the orb inside.

The door had been left open, and when Minghao peered into the brightened room, what he saw returned him to his previously shattered state.

“Junhui?!” the willowy Omega cried desperately, bolting inside as the others followed closely behind him.

Each of them watched as the orb hovered over the resting Alpha, before slowly sinking into Junhui’s laid out body.

“It chose him!” Minghao exclaimed, placing himself right by his lover and grabbing hold of the Alpha’s hand. “That’s the reason why he’s fireproof! Because the Power of Water was always meant to be his!”

The willowy Omega’s expression dawned with hope. “Junhui is still alive! He has to be!”

“But…” Jeonghan ruefully spoke up. “…he’s not waking up…”

“Who’s not waking up?” Seungkwan inquired out of nowhere, his loud voice startling the people in the room.

“Jeonghan-hyung, what’s going on?” Hansol asked, as he and more familiar faces trickled inside.

Chan gasped at the sight before him, and he covered a hand over his mouth in disbelief.

“Is that Junhui?!” Jihoon was shocked the moment he saw the Alpha’s unconscious body on the table. Seungcheol, who’d been walking behind the physician, squeezed the Omega’s shoulder in an attempt to give him the least bit of comfort. “Oh gosh…he’s…he’s dea-”

“He just needs our energy!!!” Minghao immediately cut him off. He refused to hear _that_ dreadful word, and he refused to let Junhui hear such an awful thing.

The willowy Omega could still remember what the Beta doctor from the White Swan Empire had taught him before. To save Junhui, he had to lend him as much energy as he could possibly give. This time, he wasn’t alone. There were ten people here, and they could all help Junhui. “Hurry, put your hands on his chest!”

They were hesitant to follow Minghao as he placed his own hands over Junhui’s heart.

“Minghao, if Junhui is-” Seungcheol had to hold back from saying the upsetting word. He didn’t want to make the situation even more painful than it already was. “You know none of us can bring people back to life…”

For a moment, the room fell into silence.

The willowy Omega’s head hung low, and no one could see his face.

They didn’t believe him.

Not because they didn’t love Junhui and didn’t want him alive.

But because Minghao had been acting like an insane person since he entered this room. He knew he sounded crazy, and he knew it took more than just energy to heal people. But Minghao had already saved Junhui once before, and he was going to do it again.

“I know…I know we can’t revive the dead…” the willowy Omega confessed. The truth, however, could not extinguish the smoldering in his eyes. “But I’m not asking any of you to bring him back from the dead. What I’m asking for you all to do…is to help me _wake Junhui up_.”

Mingyu paused and observed Minghao’s determined expression. Through their eyes, a connection was made, and the Alpha king could practically feel the confidence in the Omega’s gaze. If anything was impossible, Minghao would be the one who’d make it possible.

With a faint smile, Mingyu peered down at Junhui and placed a hand on his chest.

Jisoo brought a palm next to Mingyu’s, and Jeonghan laid his own hand down soon after.

One by one, the rest of their family followed as Minghao had instructed. Seokmin was the last to place his hand on the Alpha, and though he was there with them, his divine energy was not something he could give to a mortal vessel. It was all up to Junhui's family. This was something he could not help them with.

The members of Gwangsan Kim closed their eyes and focused only on the light within themselves. The combination of their individual auras shined as they transferred their own energies into the Alpha.

The mixture of their energies were accompanied by feelings and memories. They pondered upon every wonderful moment each of them had with Junhui. Both the good times and the bad times were remembered with fondness, because somehow, the days always ended with Junhui’s infectious smile. 

The residents of Gwangsan Kim opened their eyes once more and watched as the light beneath their palms fully assimilated within the Alpha.

Everyone had become weary, but the shared burden left them with enough strength to still stand. They withdrew their hands, and the entire room fell into gloom yet again.

Nobody spoke a single word, and there was not a single breath to be heard.

Minghao longingly gazed upon his Alpha’s face, beseeching to the heavens that his lover would awaken.

_Please,_ give him back to me.

_Give my Alpha back to me._

_He’s not yours to keep._

_He’s mine, and I want him back._

_Give me back my Alpha._

_Please._

“Please…Junhui, wake up,” Minghao whispered one last time.

But the Alpha did not respond. His body remained still and lifeless, and unable to control himself any longer, the willowy Omega finally allowed his tears to fall.

In the end, the stifling quiet prevailed, and the somberness of the room became even heavier.

The residents of Firestorm Fortress had no choice but to emotionally recede and accept this devastating loss.

But then…

Just when all hope had disappeared…

Wen Junhui finally opened his eyes.

* * *

Wonwoo had already woken up a while ago, but he could only motionlessly kneel and stare at the floor in desolation.

He no longer felt nauseous and dizzy, and he knew from the moment he regained consciousness that Minhyun had done something horrible to him.

There was a green glow dancing over the skin of his hands, and he could feel a different kind of energy at the tips of his fingers just waiting to be discovered.

Something had merged with his body and latched onto his soul as if it had found a permanent dwelling place inside him.

It was the Power of Earth. There was no doubt about it.

But why had Minhyun done this to him?

Wonwoo had never strived for this kind of power. This gift was the product of countless, innocent lives stolen and sacrificed. He never wanted to be involved in any part of it.

So why? Why would Minhyun give him the Power of Earth?

There had to be a reason…but Wonwoo had a gut feeling that he may never find out.

He knew he could break through his chains. He knew he could escape right now and avoid recapturing if he wanted to.

But the weight of what had happened to Junhui - what had happened because Wonwoo had been a fool - was still heavy on his shoulders.

After all, he was the one who’d been at fault. He asked Mingyu to spare Minhyun, and so Wonwoo was the one to blame for his dear friend’s death.

As he continued his self-loathing and remorseful pondering, a pair of boots enter his field of vision, and when he lifted his head, the Alpha felt as though he were peering up at a _god_.

The man before him was beatific and breathtaking. He looked like a more perfect version of a human, and Wonwoo had to wonder whether this person could even be mortal. He had an impossibly sublime smile - soft and gentle and full of goodness.

“Hello, Wonwoo…” the saintly man greeted him.

“Are you a deity now?” he had to ask.

After sacrificing himself for the sake of his lover, there would be no doubt that the gods would have made Wen Junhui an immortal being.

“Am I…dead? Have you come to collect my soul?”

Junhui released a soft chuckle. “Not at all. I’ve actually come to rescue you.”

“Rescue me?” Wonwoo furrowed his brows, unable to comprehend how Junhui was standing in front of him. If Wonwoo wasn’t dead, why was his dear friend here? He’d watched Junhui die. How was this possible? “Junhui…why…h-how are you even alive?”

“The Power of Water…our friends…they all helped bring me back, but there’s _one more person_ I haven’t thanked yet,” the immaculate Alpha patiently explained. “The day I died…my ancestors had come to take me away, but as we were ascending to heaven, _he_ drew my soul back down to earth.”

Wonwoo swallowed a hard lump in his throat. “I thought we had lost you that day…”

“You did, but only for a brief moment…My body just didn’t have enough strength to wake up. So I was just…dreaming and… _floating_ …under a sky filled with flowers…”

A sky filled with flowers?

Why did that sound so familiar?

Wonwoo lowered his head again and heaved a tortured sigh. Those lovely skies didn’t matter to him.

What mattered most was that his friend was alive.

But he was still so angry with himself. He was too ashamed to keep looking at Junhui in the eye.

“Junhui…I’m…I’m so so sorry-”

“Wonwoo,” the immaculate Alpha uttered tenderly. "You have nothing to be sorry for…”

“Stop. I don’t deserve your forgiveness,” Wonwoo stated, clenching his fists as more self-deprecating thoughts wreaked havoc in his mind. “I don’t deserve to be a member of Gwangsan Kim.”

Junhui gracefully bent down on one knee and lifted Wonwoo’s chin so their gazes would meet once more. “You should know, Chan is right outside the door.”

“C-Chan?!” Wonwoo stammered in alarm.

Oh god.

Not Chan.

He couldn’t see Chan right now.

“Yes. The rest of our family is here too.”

Everyone else was here. Everyone else undoubtedly knew what he had done.

What would he say to the Omega prince?

How would Chan’s fathers accept Wonwoo for their son now?

“Walk out of this room with me?” Junhui politely asked, even though he didn’t have to. He could have dragged Wonwoo outside by the neck if he wanted to, but of course, Junhui was still being so kind to him.

Wonwoo’s expression only reflected pain and helplessness. “Why would you want to walk beside a treacherous snake?”

The saintlike Alpha smiled. “You’re my best friend, Wonwoo. You can’t tell me otherwise.”

Junhui stood up, and this time, Wonwoo noticed the dried up blood on his friend’s robes. The memories were still fresh and vivid.

He couldn’t let Junhui get hurt again.

“And right now, I need my best friend…” Junhui said as he held a hand out. “So please…if you cannot be Gwangsan Kim, be Wen Junhui’s best friend. Help me save this city. Let’s fight together and protect the people we love…”

His eyes trailed down to Junhui’s open palm.

He had failed to protect Minhyun.

He had failed to protect Junhui.

Wonwoo didn’t want to take his hand.

So the stoic Alpha pulled himself up onto his feet, and instead of grabbing the other Alpha’s hand, he wrapped his arms around his dear friend.

He wasn’t going to let himself fail ever again.

* * *

The citizens of the Aster Province were pushing out the remaining Alphas from Carnation Kingdom from their city. With the help of Prince Soonyoung’s friends, they’d managed to take back their home and uncage the rest of their families before Kim Jonghyun’s men could steal them away.

No one knew where the king and queen were, but one person had caught a glimpse of Andong Kwon’s prince.

“On the roof! Look!” the Beta man shouted, and a bunch of people from the crowd glanced up at the palace.

Though his figure was far away, they knew from his stature and the color of his hair that he was indeed the Aster Province’s precious prince.

Startled gasps reverberated in the air.

“Is that really Prince Soonyoung?!” a woman shrieked, because right in front of the Omega, there was a loathsome man dressed in black and silver.

The citizens all recognized who this monster was, and they were more than ready to see his doom. They had not, however, expected that their unlikely champion would be the prince who’d been scorned by his own nation.

Once again, the common folk were set abuzz.

“ _He’s facing off against the Alpha King of Carnation Kingdom?!_ ”

“By himself?!”

“ _He’s not going to survive!!!_ ”

“But he brought Omega friends who can fight! That must mean Prince Soonyoung can fight too!”

“ _Can he really defeat an Alpha king? Even as an Omega?_ ”

“He can do it!”

“ _No, there’s no way!!!_ ”

“It’s impossible! We just have to believe in him!”

“ _Yes! He has to do it! He has to win!!!_ ”

“For the sake of our kingdom!”

Some of the Omega men and women turned in the direction of the palace, and they all began shouting at the top of their lungs. “Prince Soonyoung, you can do it!”

“ _Prince Soonyoung, you can defeat that no good Alpha!_ ”

“Prince Soonyoung, we know you can do it!!!”

“ _You can win!!!_ ”

* * *

There was a drizzle obscuring his vision and making him shiver from the cold, but the rain could do nothing to make his enemy seem less terrifying.

Soonyoung was up here without any allies, at the mercy of an Alpha who could easily crush his skull.

No one could fault him for being afraid.

He was all alone in this dangerous game.

“I’m waiting, Soonyoung…” Kim Jonghyun said, standing just meters away from the Omega. “The fate of your Alpha is in your hands.”

Soonyoung nodded mutely, before sighing sadly. “I just want to know first…why me? Why do you want me dead? What have I ever done to you?”

The Alpha frowned. “It’s because… _you’re in the way._ ”

“In the way of what?”

“Of my revenge,” Jonghyun simply stated. He took a few steps closer, and the prince nervouslybacked away.

“B-But you’re so powerful… Y-You…you’re untouchable,” Soonyoung distracted him, overly conscious of the space left until he reached the edge. “How could anyone ever get in the way of your revenge?”

“I want to bring unspeakable horrors to mankind. Plagues. Famine. Disasters… _Unstoppable death_. I want to see every last man, woman, and child scream as their bodies fester and they turn into ashes on the ground. But I can not wipe out this entire world while you are still here.”

Soonyoung felt his heartbeat quicken and his mouth go dry. He licked at his lips and shook his head. “But I…I don’t have… _any kind of power_ to stop you.”

His words caused Jonghyun to sneer. “ _You can’t fool me_. I know what you are. I know what’s inside you.”

“W-What are you talking about?” the Omega stuttered, trembling from the anger coming from the Alpha.

“Of course you wouldn’t know,” he answered through gritted teeth. “Why would Dokyeom ever tell you?”

Soonyoung peeked down the side of the roof and anxiously gulped. The gears in his head were turning as fast as they could, but it was getting harder and harder to distract the Alpha when all he could think about was the edge.

“W-Who…who’s Dokyeom?”

Jonghyun was getting angrier and angrier as their conversation continued. The Omega needed just a bit more time. “He’s the one who made you like this. Full of _life_. Full of _everything_ I despise in this world. I hate him, and I hate you and what you are even more!!! Now jump before I tell Longfei to finish off your friends!”

Soonyoung winced and bit his lip. Time was up. It was his turn to play his moves now. “You know…I never agreed to leap towards my own demise…and you just told me about your plan to kill everyone on this earth. So it doesn’t matter if I jump off this roof. You’re still going to hurt my family!”

The prince took a courageous step forward. “I’m the sole heir of Andong Kwon!!!”

His feet kept going. “This is my kingdom! This is my land! You can’t order me around in my own home!”

Before he knew it, Soonyoung was just inches away from the Alpha. “So if you really want me dead, you’ll have to push me off this roof yourself!!!”

Jonghyun angrily roared back at the Omega, ready to kill him right then and there. But before he could charge at the prince, Soonyoung pulled out a dagger from his waistband - the same one he’d stolen from Gwangsan Kim’s general when he first came to Firestorm Fortress.

“I am the Dark Entity of Death! Your mortal instruments cannot kill me!!!” the Alpha cried out.

The prince glared in return. “I don’t care about who you are! I will end you before the sun rises in the sky!”

“You’re just an Omega! What do you know about fighting?!”

At the offensive implication, Soonyoung raised his voice louder than Jonghyun’s. “Well, you’re just an Alpha! What do you know about Omegas?!”

He’d been blaming everything that has happened to him on his status, and he was tired of being so ashamed of himself. He was so much more than just an Omega, and the residents of Firestorm Fortress - his true family - had helped him discover who he truly was.

Now, he had to let the rest of the world know.

He wasn’t just a son of Andong Kwon.

He wasn’t just the Prince of the Aster Province.

He wasn’t just an Omega.

He was smart. He was strong. He was kind. He was beautiful.

And he was loved.

He was Kwon Soonyoung, and he was a force to be reckoned with.

Jonghyun barreled forward, and the showdown between Andong Kwon and Gangneung Kim finally began.

The prince weaved his way out of the Alpha’s destructive path, avoiding the claws that attempted to grab him, and slashed his weapon across the side of Jonghyun’s shoulder.

The Alpha growled and whipped himself around to seize the Omega’s throat, but Soonyoung ducked and swiped his leg at Jonghyun’s ankles. The king toppled backwards, and the Prince of Andong Kwon took this chance to stab him straight through the heart.

Soonyoung immediately jumped backwards and narrowed his eyes at his roaring enemy.

Jonghyun reeled and hunched over for a moment, seething as the pain radiated over his chest and shoulders. He leered at the prince and spat out, “Y-You stupid Omega…”

“If you pull that dagger out, you’re going to bleed to death,” Soonyoung imparted gravely. “I wouldn’t move around too much if I were you.”

The Alpha refused to listen. He pushed himself up and stormed forward to attack the Omega again.

Soonyoung recalled all the lessons he’d taken at Firestorm Fortress, and he maneuvered himself exactly as he’d been trained. Fighting against the Alphas of Gwangsan Kim had brought him immense knowledge and experience, and his body naturally evaded Jonghyun’s claws, just as it would when he fought against Wonwoo.

It was difficult to fight on a walkway as narrow as the roof, so the prince focused on dodging instead of attacking. Soonyoung already had the advantage. The dagger was doing all the work for him. Soon, the Alpha was going to weaken and succumb to fatigue, because no one could last long with a stab wound in the heart.

Jonghyun had almost gotten a claw close to Soonyoung’s face, but the Omega managed to elude his attack yet again.

He hadn’t expected himself to lose his balance, but he should have been more careful because of the rain. His foot had landed on a wet spot on the beam, and he tiptoed backwards to regain steadiness, but he ended up right at the end of the roof.

The Alpha smirked and pulled the dagger out of his own chest. Scarlet red poured out of him, but it didn’t seem to faze him at all. He stalked forward and pointed the weapon at Soonyoung. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for years…”

The Omega prince couldn’t jump over Jonghyun, and there wasn’t enough space left to move around him. He was trapped at the edge, and he had no other route to escape.

They both knew that, and Jonghyun was ecstatic about this sudden turn of events.

He held the dagger’s pointed tip right at Soonyoung’s stomach. “Dokyeom will finally get to watch you die. This is the end for you, Kwon Soonyoung. You’ve been a stubborn one, but you can’t avoid your fate. You can’t avoid Death.”

Was this really it for him?

He didn’t want to die by this Alpha’s hand, but he didn’t want to plummet to his death either.

There had to be something.

This couldn’t be the end yet.

The distant twinkling of a star caught his attention. Even in the drizzling rain, it was still bright against the night sky, and the sight of it made Soonyoung realize what he needed to do.

His cheeks felt cold, and a fogged breath escaped his parted lips.

The frantic beating of his heart became steady, with much 

The whisper he released was inaudible, but the message in his words was clear.

Kim Jonghyun pressed the knife in. “Say hello to the Four Brothers for me when you see them in heaven.”

Soonyoung wasn’t going to let this Alpha kill him.

He would rather take his own life than let Kim Jonghyun steal it from him. So the Omega prince leaned back and allowed himself to fall.

* * *

Soonyoung’s body descended slowly. He watched as the bloodied Alpha grinned back at him sinisterly, and everything else around him had been muted into a placating quiet.

The prince never imagined this was how his life would turn out to be, but he was grateful.

He had received the love of so many people, and because of them, he’d learned to love himself as well.

He had no qualms, so he did not fear his impending death.

The impact was going to be horrid, and he teared up at the thought of Mingyu finding his dead body.

Soonyoung closed his eyes and waited.

There was no need to cry now.

All he had to do was wait.

Everything was going to be okay.

He breathed out a relieved sigh and smiled.

Because finally…

Finally…

_They_ were all here.

The Omega’s fall was broken by a large gust of wind, and when he looked to his left, Soonyoung found the Second Prince standing in the palace precinct, controlling the air that was easing his descent.

“Hyung!” he cried out in happiness.

Thank goodness Jisoo’s wind had caught his clandestine message.

“Soonyoung!” Mingyu shouted as he rushed to his lover. The wind safely deposited the prince in the Alpha’s arms, and they both immediately embraced each other.

“Mingyu…” the prince muttered, breathing in the scent of his Alpha and hugging him even tighter. “I knew you could defeat Longfei.”

“You shouldn’t have went up to the roof with Kim Jonghyun,” the king reprimanded him. He was upset with Soonyoung, but he wasn’t raising his voice or letting go of the Omega.

“I needed to separate them,” Soonyoung explained. “I needed to do something to help you.”

As the two lovers cradled each other, the residents of Firestorm Fortress rushed into the precinct to continue the fight against Kim Jonghyun.

Up on the roof, the Alpha King of Carnation Kingdom was looking down at them with a displeased expression on his face. He was absolutely livid. The snarl on his face was enough to show how desperately he wished to annihilate every last person in the city, and the members of Gwangsan Kim knew that they had to finish him off now before it was too late.

Jisoo sent a hundred different wind scythes to mutilate Jonghyun, and the Alpha weaved across the roof to avoid the invisible gale attacking him.

But as he jumped back and forth, he didn’t notice a wave of water coming towards him, and the current smashed into the left side of his body and knocked him off his feet.

Junhui’s attack gave Jisoo another chance to slice at Jonghyun’s body, but the Alpha king had moved quick enough to circumvent another onslaught.

Using the dagger in his hand, he fought off the scythes as if he were in a sword duel. He had expected another torrent to come his way, but this time, it was a monstrous hound made of flames that emerged before him.

Down below, Mingyu had conjured up the beast with the Power of Fire, and he’d made the firestorm big and hot enough for Jonghyun to feel his skin slowly burn as it stood before him.

The flaming hound pounced onto the enemy Alpha, but his garments had been specially-made to withstand high temperatures. So he covered himself with his robes, protecting himself from being burned alive. The roof was set ablaze in an instant, but Jonghyun remained alive.

The hound of flames dissipated when Mingyu realized it could not scorch him, and Jonghyun peered up from his sleeves to map out his next move. Before he could even register a single thought, he was immediately punched across the face by none other than Junhui. Because he was fire-proof, the Alpha had managed to stealthily hide himself inside the hound.

He brought down a great deluge over Jonghyun's head, and it was strong enough to break through the palace. Junhui rode away on a wave to safety as the Aster Province’s throne room crumbled to the ground.

Mingyu and Jisoo combined their powers to create an amalgamation of fire and wind, and the spinning firestorm destroyed every last bit of the palace’s infrastructure.

Still, Jonghyun had somehow survived their attack, but his skin was charred and beyond recognition. In the middle of ruins, he struggled to bring himself to his feet, and he was shaking from both anger and pain.

As a final countermeasure, Mingyu brought on ice storm to ruthlessly plummet the Alpha's body, and Wonwoo summoned the Power of Earth. He morphed the dirt around Kim Jonghyun into an enormous pair of jaws, and they closed over the frostbitten Alpha king and buried him beneath the surface.

“They did it!” Seungkwan cheered from afar, grasping Hansol and Chan's hands tight.

An eeriness took over, and the silence of their victory seemed hollow.

The air was still thick and suffocating, and the night sky was still darker than usual.

Unfortunately, the fight was not over yet.

Jonghyun clawed his way out of the earth, and once he fully emerged from the ground like a reanimated carcass, something black poured out of the Alpha's mouth and materialized into a tar-like human. The remainder of Kim Jonghyun's body crumbled into dust, and the Dark Entity of Death roared like a ferocious beast set free.

Seokmin sighed heavily, pained by what was about to happen.

To disrupt the balance of life and death…to bring forth calamities so devastating that all living creatures earth would be annihilated, the Dark Entity of Death had to destroy the last remnants of the Bright Entity of Life. Because as long as Kwon Soonyoung was still alive, life and death would remain as equals.

The God of Fate never wanted his child to get hurt, but to be rid of the Dark Entity forever, the remaining piece of Eunwoo had to be destroyed as well.

There had to be a balance.

Neither life nor death could solely reign over the three realms.

“He’s not dying! Why isn’t he dying?!” Jihoon cried, worried for his friends at the front lines. 

“Because he is Death…and _only Life can destroy Death_ …” Seokmin spoke cryptically. He turned to Soonyoung, peering at him with a sad and knowing look, and the Beta subtly nodded in his direction.

The Omega prince looked away in uncertainty. He was the only person who could’ve understood what Seokmin had said. It was as if the Beta had known what the Death had said to him, and he was telling Soonyoung to fight the enemy head on.

He was full of life.

He was the only one getting in the way of Death’s plans.

So maybe…just maybe…they did have a chance.

They could win against this monster.

But then…

What would happen to Soonyoung after?

There was also a chance that he could die trying to kill the Dark Entity.

But if it would save his family and save his people, the Omega prince had to do the right thing.

He began walking on the barren dirt towards their enemy, and Mingyu automatically grabbed him before he could continue moving forward. “Soonyoung, what are you doing?”

“…I don’t want to die…but I can’t let you get hurt,” the Omega sadly said to his lover. “I may be the only one who can stop him.”

Of course, the Alpha king would not release him. “No, we can stop him together! We can-”

“I've made up my mind,” Soonyoung answered coldly. “If there’s even the smallest chance that I can put an end to this, I’m going to do it. Even if it costs me my own life. I’ll die fighting so you can live.”

“How do you expect _me_ to live without _my other half_?!”

Soonyoung abruptly interrupted him with a long and hard kiss. “I’m sorry, Mingyu. I love you so much…”

He released himself from the Alpha’s hold and stalked forward once more.

“Soonyoung, don’t! Please!” Mingyu cried out after him, and Jeonghan had to hold his friend back.

The shrewd Alpha had heard what Seokmin said, and he’d witnessed the way he’d glanced at Soonyoung. The two of them knew something the rest of them didn’t, and if it guaranteed their victory, Jeonghan wished for the Omega prince to be their champion.

“Mingyu, let him do what he has to,” he imparted to his friend.

The menacing Alpha winced, distraught as he watched as the distance between him and his lover grow.

Soonyoung stopped once he was just a few feet away from Death’s ugly form. “You want me dead…and I cannot let you live…”

The Dark Entity roared at him and raised a hand to strike at the Omega’s face, but Soonyoung caught his wrist before he could get hurt, and with a firm grip, he held Death’s hand in place.

“So let’s just leave this world together…” the prince stated calmly.

After so many years, Life and Death had touched once more.

Realizing this, the Dark Entity became terrified and attempted to retrieve his hand. “N-No!!! What are you doing?! Let go of me!!!”

Soonyoung pulled Death into his arms and encompassed him tightly against his own body. “I won’t let you destroy this world. I won't let you hurt the people I love.”

Light and darkness clashed in the celestial sky, fighting for dominance in a violent gale of wind whirling around the palace grounds.

Jisoo attempted to control the tempest, but this wasn't something the Power of Wind could manipulate.

This was the result of Life and Death coming together.

“Soonyoung!!!! No!!!!” Mingyu bellowed. He desperately fought against the swirling haze, but even his large body could not power through the dark storm.

As the tendrils of death raked across his skin, the Omega prince felt his very soul tearing apart. It was harrowing - being destroyed from the inside out, as if there were hundreds of firecrackers exploding within his body. There was so much pain, and it felt like it was never going to stop.

Death was not faring any better. The light was chipping at his skin, and his mouth was open in a silent scream. The scleras of his eyes had gone pitch black, and he looked even farther from human than he used to.

They were both at the cusps of an obliteration, and no one could help either of them break free from this nightmarish ordeal.

But suddenly…

The pain stopped.

Or at least for Soonyoung, the gradually pain ebbed away.

The light began to take over his body as well, and it was pushing away the tendrils burning over his body.

Dokyeom smiled and glanced at Jeonghan staring at the two in shock.

“ _As long as there is a blue rose left standing, you cannot harm my children._ ”

Everything had been timed and put in place perfectly for all of this to happen. Right from the very beginning, the God of Fate knew that this was the future, and he was glad it had finally come to fruition.

The light won, and the Dark Entity of Death disintegrated in Soonyoung’s hands.

A silence followed, and the Omega prince emerged from the dying storm as the clear victor.

Dawn arrived, and with the rising sun came a flurry of petals falling from the heavens.

It was finally over.

“He did it, Eunwoo…” Dokyeom whispered to a particular star in the sky right before it was overpowered by the blazing light of the sun.

The citizens, who’d been watching everything this entire time, erupted into deafening cheers.

But one cry from an Alpha man stood out from the rest. “Long live Kwon Soonyoung!!! Omega King of the Aster Province!!!”

The rest of the crowd cheered even louder.

The residents of Firestorm Fortress, however, were still in disbelief, and they began tearing up.

They made it.

They destroyed all their enemies, and they came out of all this chaos alive.

Gwangsan Kim was still whole.

Mingyu sighed and with a warm and grateful smile, he went down on his knees and bowed to Soonyoung. His other family members noticed what he’d done and, one by one, got onto their knees and bowed as well.

Soon, the entire kingdom was bowing down to Soonyoung…even his overwhelmed and emotional parents.

* * *

Seungkwan had beaten Mingyu as the first person to hug Soonyoung once the festivities began. The sonorous Omega was bawling his eyes out as the Alpha king attempted to pry him off, but just as Mingyu had gotten Seungkwan to let go, Chan pulled Soonyoung into another hug. Eventually, the prince ended up in the middle of Jihoon, Junhui, and Wonwoo's arms, and later, he’d somehow landed in between Seungcheol and Hansol. The two Alphas carried him to Minghao next, and though the willowy Omega seemed outwardly displeased, he still held Soonyoung tight while discreetly trying to wipe the tears from his eyes.

“T-Thank you,” Minghao stammered uncomfortably. “Junhui told me you brought him back…with your magic touch or something.”

He hadn’t really understood what Junhui had been talking about, but all he needed to know that his Alpha had come back, and it was all thanks to Soonyoung.

Jeonghan tugged Jisoo’s hand as they planned to receive the prince next, but before they could reach him, Jisoo stumbled over his own feet and fell to the ground.

“Jisoo? Are you alright?” the Alpha asked worriedly.

Out of nowhere, the Second Prince had lost all the color in his face, and he was almost as pale as a ghost. He could barely keep his eyes open, and his mouth couldn’t even release a single word.

Jisoo had been running on borrowed time, and the overexertion had finally caught up to him.

“Jisoo, say something!” Jeonghan bayed hysterically. “Jisoo!!!”

* * *

They remained in the Aster Province for the next few days.

Jihoon was working nonstop trying to make any remedy he could to help Jisoo, but the Second Prince was no longer waking up.

His breathing was weak, and his pulse was thready.

The color of his skin would not flush, even when the members of Gwangsan Kim tried to transfer their energies to him just as they’d done with Junhui.

Jisoo wasn’t taking any of it.

His body was shutting down, and there was nothing else they could do but watch the Second Prince slowly wither away into an eternal slumber.

Jeonghan had been with Jisoo since he fainted, and only now had he finally relented when Mingyu forced him to sleep in a proper bed.

While he was gone, Seokmin had taken the opportunity to sit down next the Omega and speak with him.

“Oh, Jisoo, please forgive me,” he guiltily apologized to the unconscious prince. He was sitting next to the Jisoo’s bed, gently caressing his delicate face. “You’ve suffered so much all your life, and now, here you are - suffering yet again.”

It was such a waste.

Hong Jisoo was such a rare thing to behold.

“I know you will like heaven. Your family is up there with your Great Ancestor. He has had a place ready for you all this time.”

The God of Fate felt like he was saying all this to console himself more so than his child. Jisoo couldn’t even hear him, so there was no point to having this one-sided conversation.

But Seokmin needed to get all this off his chest.

He needed to finally accept that the Omega would soon have his final breath.

“I know you will miss your Alpha…but you two were not fated to grow old together. I have seen your futures. It just wasn’t meant to be.”

His fate had been set in stone the moment he’d been born.

But Seokmin couldn’t stop shaking.

He couldn’t ignore the gnawing pain in his bones.

“Jisoo…I’m sorry…”

The god stood up and turned away, closing his eyes and breathing in deep.

It never felt good to say good bye to his children.

He never understood why the Almighty One had given him so much human emotion. It would have been easier to not feel anything at all. It would have been easier for him to do his job without the burden of sentiments and attachments.

There was a mixture of anger and melancholy in his heart, and when he opened his eyes and turned to Jisoo once more, Seokmin shed a single tear and wondered how the Omega ended up so beautiful.

Had he decided Hong Jisoo would be this alluring?

Or did he become gorgeous because Seokmin had left everything to fate?

The god refused to wonder any more.

He no longer wished to always question himself and his powers.

“I’m sorry, Jisoo…” he apologized for the third and final time. “The Third Brother will be furious with me but _to hell with it_. This is my gift to you, Hong Jisoo. After everything that’s happened, you deserve happiness too.”

Seokmin placed his hand over the prince’s stomach, and a healing light brightened the whole room.

* * *

“What were you doing in Jisoo’s room?”

He had expected to hear the intrusive voice coming from behind him.

Seokmin whirled around and grinned. “Nothing, hyung! Just checking up on the Second Prince while you were away.”

Jeonghan furrowed his brows, expression far from playful.

The Alpha had only managed to sleep for a few minutes, because a certain scent had coaxed him back into consciousness.

It was pleasant and nostalgic, but he couldn’t pinpoint what the fragrance was or where it had come from.

“Don’t go into his room again without my permission,” he warned the Beta.

Jeonghan knew he was being overly aggressive, and Seokmin didn’t deserve to be snapped at like this, but the Alpha just couldn’t help it. The prolonged lack of sleep and food was starting to mess with his mind and body, and he wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up fighting with Mingyu or Seungcheol one of these days.

“I promise I won’t, hyung.”

“Good,” Jeonghan curtly responded, still annoyed. He pursed his lips and waited for the Beta to go, but when he kept on staring expectantly at the Alpha, Jeonghan had left the need to finally speak up again. “Seokmin…I wasn’t going to say anything until we got back home, but before this whole fiasco, I’d been doing some research, and I found out that Bergamot Bay doesn’t exist.”

The Beta simply smiled. “You’re right. Bergamot Bay isn’t real.”

Jeonghan narrowed his eyes. What else had Seokmin lied to them about? How could he have allowed the Beta to fool them for so long?

“So then who are you really? And where did you come from?” the Alpha demanded, his tone unquestionably dominant.

He’d meant to instill fear, but Seokmin did not budge.

Instead, his smile grew even wider. “Jeonghan, you really are one of the smartest Alphas I’ve ever created.”

The Alpha bared his teeth. “What are you talking about?”

Seokmin placed a hand on his shoulder. “I can’t wait to meet Jaemin, Jinyoung, Seokwoo, and Yuna.”

Jeonghan’s eyes widened.

_Jaemin, Jinyoung, Seokwoo, and Yuna._

Those were the cutesy names Jisoo had always wanted for his future, cutesy little children.

“W-What the hell?! How did you-”

Jeonghan’s words died on his tongue, and little by little, his brown orbs were imbued with a vicious shade of red.

He was going into a rut, and because he had not experienced one in so long, it quickly took over his senses and filled him with an uncontrollable urge to _breed_.

“Seokmin,” the Alpha choked, holding himself back while he could still think.

The Beta leaned in to whisper in Jeonghan’s ear.

“It’s alright. Jisoo needs you too.”

At the mention of his Omega’s name, the Alpha opened the door to the prince’s room, and once he stepped inside, Jeonghan finally realized what had woken him up.

It was Jisoo’s scent.

He was awake, and his eyes were blue.

He was in heat, and he smelled like the most mouthwatering delicacy in the entire world. 

“Jeonghan,” the Second Prince muttered in relief and immediately jumped out of bed to pull his Alpha into his arms.

The two immediately kissed, and as their lips meshed and their hands roamed, the Omega began haphazardly touching his lover’s body. His hand instinctively pressed over a heated spot in front of the Alpha’s trousers, and Jeonghan instantly broke away from Jisoo.

“No,” he stated, panting hard as he clenched his fists.

He forced himself to maintain the distance between them. Even though the Alpha was dying to mate with his Omega, he wasn’t going to simply give in to his urges like a mindless savage.

“Jeonghan, what’s wrong?” Jisoo asked, blue eyes glazed over with lust.

“We can’t do this,” Jeonghan asserted, even though it was painfully obvious how much he wanted the prince. “I won’t hurt you. I refuse to hurt you.”

The Omega’s expression softened. “You won’t hurt me…I know you won’t…” he whispered assuringly, before he began removing his own robes.

As the layers fell to the floor one piece at a time, Jeonghan could feel his entire body flush with excitement. He’d seen Jisoo’s bare body before, but he’d never reacted to it with this much longing and arousal.

“Wait, what happened to your scars?” the Alpha asked after realizing they had all disappeared. There was not a single blemish on Jisoo’s creamy, pale skin, and he was becoming even more agitated by how succulent the Omega looked. "Jisoo, why are you in heat? How can you be in heat right now?"

All Jeonghan wanted to do was sink his teeth into the prince’s neck, bite his way down Jisoo’s body, and plow into him until he was bow-legged and stuffed with cum.

The Omega didn’t seem to hear any of his concerns. Instead, the Second Prince sank to his knees and began pulling the strings of Jeonghan’s trousers open.

Before the Alpha could pull away once more and stop him, Jisoo quickly took Jeonghan’s entire length into his mouth and proceed to _lick, suck, and gag_ until his pure and innocent image was completely destroyed.

Thankfully, Seokmin had closed the door before anyone else besides Jeonghan could see it.

* * *

Atop the mountains, an Alpha and an Omega pair were lying on a bed of calico asters, watching as the clouds passed by.

“I’m so happy for Jisoo-hyung and Jeonghan-hyung," Soonyoung said, snuggling deeper into the crook of his lover’s arm.

Mingyu softly smiled. “Against all odds, Jisoo-hyung pulled through, and Jihoon-hyung said he and Jeonghan-hyung might have a child in the fall season.”

“That’s such wonderful news, Mingyu.”

The Omega Prince of Andong Kwon felt elated by what he’d heard, but there was sadness in his tone. He was overwrought with his own thoughts and emotions, and he’d refrained from telling Mingyu out of guilt.

“I can’t wait to get back home and finally marry you,” the Alpha spoke placidly. “I can’t wait until we have children of our own.”

Soonyoung’s lips tightened.

He had to tell the king now.

As he sat up, the Omega felt the stinging of tears in his eyes. Soonyoung was hurting, even though he was the one who’d made this decision, and he could only imagine how much pain his Alpha would be in.

But it had to be done.

This is what Soonyoung wanted.

“Mingyu…I don’t think I’m going back to Firestorm Fortress…”

* * *

The Aster Province had never had an Omega king before, and to mark this special occasion, they held an enormous celebration in honor of their new sovereign.

Three days worth of merriment had been more than enough to satisfy the people, and the members of Gwangsan were finally ready to go back home after Soonyoung’s official coronation.

The Omega King of Andong Kwon was there to see them off, and as the family bid farewell, they couldn’t help but feel like they were missing something.

“It’s so weird,” Hansol commented, scratching the back of his head. “I swear we had thirteen members.”

“Don’t you mean twelve?” Seungcheol corrected him, but after pondering for a moment, he also became confused. “Wait, had there always been twelve?”

“Well now it’s eleven since Soonyoung isn’t coming back with us,” Jihoon added. He too, however, felt perplexed about their actual number. As a doctor, he wasn’t supposed to have this kind of problem with math, especially since he dealt with doses everyday. “What the hell? Are we missing someone?”

Out of frustration, Chan began chanting the names of everyone in their family. “Seungcheol, Jeonghan, Jisoo, Junhui, Soonyoung, Wonwoo, Jihoon, Minghao, Mingyu, Seungkwan, Hansol, Chan. That’s twelve, right?”

Junhui had been following him while counting his fingers. “Yup, that’s right.”

“I still feel like we’re missing some,” Wonwoo said.

“Who could we be missing?” Jeonghan wondered. It was weird that they all felt this way, and he couldn’t figure out why this was bothering them all so much.

While everyone continued the heated discussion, Seungkwan was busy coaxing Soonyoung into coming back with them.

“You can govern your nation from the comfort of Firestorm Fortress,” he offered, hoping his negotiation skills would work this time. “We are allies after all. There is no need for us to part ways like this.”

Soonyoung sadly smiled. “I am the King of the Aster Province. This is where I belong.”

For the first time since he’d presented, the people of his home no longer saw him as just an Omega. He’d finally gained the acceptance of his parents.

They all finally saw him as a worthy successor to the throne, and he wanted to be their king. 

“He’s right,” Jisoo remarked. “This is the path he’s chosen, Seungkwan. We need to respect that.”

He placed his hands on a disappointed Seungkwan’s shoulders, before nodding bittersweetly at Soonyoung and ushering the sonorous Omega away.

“I know your reign will be glorious, Kwon Soonyoung,” Minghao said in a small voice, looking down at the ground drearily. "I can't thank you enough for saving my Alpha. I will forever be in your debt.”

“You don’t owe me anything, Minghao,” he answered, before hugging the willowy Omega. “Thank you for being my friend.”

Minghao hugged him back and briskly turned away before Soonyoung could see his tears.

The rest of Gwangsan Kim bid him farewell one at a time, and once they were done, Mingyu finally approached him with a somber smile.

“You’re going to be an amazing king,” the Alpha stated.

“I could only hope to be as amazing as you someday…” Soonyoung responded.

They stared at each other, refusing to touch or embrace one final time, because they both knew all the pain would only come rushing back if they did.

“Thank you, Mingyu,” the Omega said. “For everything.”

The Alpha’s smile faltered, before he forced his lips to curl once more. Without saying anything else, he removed the ring on his finger and handed it back to Soonyoung. After the Omega king took back his gift, Mingyu trudged past him and stood next to his family members.

"Let's go home," he balmily said to them, before turning around and longingly gazing at his former lover.

Soonyoung peered back at him with an equal longing, but he did nothing to stop the Alpha from leaving. 

This was it for them. 

They'd agreed that, after this day, they were never going to see each other again. 

It was all for the best.

Even though they loved each other dearly, they also loved their kingdoms. Neither of them wanted to abandon the people who needed them, so they decided to let go of each other. 

Sometimes, life unexpectedly changed courses, and difficult decisions had to be made.

Two people in love weren't always meant to be together.

Love wasn't always enough to solve everything.

The pain was something they would have to get used to, but over time, their hearts would heal, and they would eventually forget about their feelings for each other.

Their story had been beautiful, but not all beautiful stories had happy endings.

Perhaps in another life, they would find a way to be together again...

_Goodbye, Kwon Soonyoung._

_Goodbye, Kim Mingyu._

After one last reluctant wave, Jeonghan struck his whip against the ground, and a flash of blue lightning carried them home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To clear up any confusion:  
> 1.) Death had killed the remaining part of Eunwoo inside Soonyoung, but because Jeonghan "the blue rose" was there, Death's power was neutralized and he could not destroy Soonyoung. So only Eunwoo's essence was destroyed. Now, Soonyoung no longer has any of Eunwoo's powers.  
> 2.) Seokmin wiped away their memories of him. But he will still be making appearances in the continuing stories.  
> 3.) Yes, there will be some short stories to follow once I get caught up with my graduate school assignments. They might end up here OR they might be added to the sequel I was talking about before.  
> 4.) If I do add them here, I will post them after the epilogue.  
> 5.) Yes, there will be an epilogue. SOON.


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas, everyone! Here's one last chapter for the year! Thank you again to everyone who's shown their love for this fic!

_Falling towards you, I want to see you right now. Someday, surely, you’d be in my heart._

_I am a flower…_

_I believe in letting beautiful flowers bloom._

_Gazing at the blue sky, blooming once again, I want to be someone’s everything._

_I’d lived for the moment,_

_but I knew that everything had a meaning once I met you._

_Between the time when flowers bloom and scatter, scars heal and sprouts emerge._

_We live for this moment, the first and last._

_That's why I won't take you for granted, because you love somebody like me…_

_I am a flower._

_I’m falling towards you now…_

_-Seventeen, Fallin’ Flower (2020)_

EPILOGUE

“ _Are you really ready for this, hyung?_ ” Chan asked, grip automatically tightening around his Alpha’s hand.

The Omega prince of Firestorm Fortress was a tad bit concerned. He’d never seen his lover look so pale before.

Wonwoo gulped nervously and nodded with his lips pressed tight.

Chan knew the Alpha was not ready at all, even though Wonwoo was the one who’d insisted that they finally talk to both of the Omega’s fathers.

“We don’t have to do this today if you’re not ready. We can always just-”

“N-No, Chan, we need to- _I_ need to do this. _Today_ ,” the Alpha kept insisting, despite the shakiness in his voice and the obvious apprehension in his face. “I want to be an Alpha who deserves your love. I want to show you how much you truly mean to me. If I have to fight through fire and ice to be with you, I’ll do it. I’ll do anything.”

The Omega smiled and pressed a kiss against his lover’s lips. “Thank you, hyung…”

In response, Wonwoo tugged him into a warm hug and whispered, “I love you so much, Chan.”

“I love you too… _Wonwoo_ …”

The pair gleefully looked into each other’s eyes, and the Alpha felt almost all of his nervousness melt away. Now, he finally understood how Jeonghan seemed to feel no shame about letting everyone know that his world solely revolved around Jisoo. He felt the same way about Chan, and he wanted the world to know how much he blindly loved the prince.

He should have been braver when they’d first met. He should have been brave this entire time.

Thankfully, Chan still loved him despite all his awful flaws, and now, Wonwoo was going to make up for all the time they’d lost due to his cowardice.

Firmly holding onto Chan’s hand once more, the Alpha pushed open the doors to the newly built throne room.

Today, Kim Mingyu was the menacing King of Firestorm Fortress. Their mighty sovereign was sitting on his royal seat - heavy crown on top of his head and ornate robes draped over his large form. The expression on his face had been passive, but it immediately turned ice cold when he noticed Wonwoo and Chan’s intertwined fingers.

The Alpha from Chrysanthemum State knew Mingyu wasn’t his friend right now. Mingyu was his fearsome ruler, and so Wonwoo was well aware that he had to tread very carefully if he wanted to leave this room alive.

But the king wasn’t the only person he had to worry about today.

Yoon Jeonghan was here as well, casually leaning against a pillar. He was deftly cutting into a ripe apple with his favorite knife. It was such a disgraceful use for a magnificent weapon, but Wonwoo wasn’t certain whether Jeonghan had the deadly blade out in order to intimidate him or he really was just hungry.The countenance on the shrewd Alpha’s face was too indiscernible to figure out.

“ _Chan_ ,” Mingyu’s voice reverberated with a frosty edge, still regarding the Alpha and Omega’s linked hands with disdain. He wasn’t exactly fond of what he was looking at. “Why did you request a formal meeting with me and Jeonghan-hyung?”

The prince fearlessly looked up at his father. “Because we have something to tell the both of you,” Chan said before turning to his lover and squeezing his hand in comfort. “Go ahead, hyung.”

Wonwoo gratefully squeezed the Omega’s hand as well and peered straight into Mingyu’s eyes. “Your Highness, Chan and I are in love.”

Jeonghan inquisitively glanced up from his apple-slicing and slyly smirked.

Mingyu, on the other hand, frowned and started glaring at the Alpha holding his son.

Before either of them could say something, Wonwoo continued his sincere message. “I know this all seems so sudden, but…I fell in love with Chan the moment I first saw him in Chrysanthemum State…and…somehow, the Crown Prince fell in love with me as well…”

The Alpha king furrowed his brows and turned to his heir apparent. “Is this true, Chan?”

“Yes, I love Wonwoo, and he loves me,” the Omega responded boldly.

“And that is why we asked to formally meet with the both of you…” Wonwoo resumed. “So we could ask for your blessing and Jeonghan-hyung’s blessing to-”

“Denied,” Mingyu petulantly cut him off, refusing to hear the words he was sure Wonwoo wanted to say. Chan was the only child he was ever going to have, and an Alpha was threatening to take him away. How could he allow such a thing to happen? It was only right for him to react this way.

“Appa! You’re being unreasonable!” Chan whined, leering at the Alpha king. 

“You kept your relationship a secret from your fathers this entire time!” Mingyu angrily argued back. “Why should I be reasonable when you’ve betrayed my trust?”

“I didn’t betray your trust! I just kept important information from you until the time was right!”

“And you think _now_ is the right time to tell me all this?! Chan, you’ve barely become an adult, and Wonwoo-hyung is…Wonwoo is…he’s too…”

Chan’s frown deepened. “He’s too what, appa?”

“… _old_ ,” Mingyu’s seething tone stressed.

“He’s literally only a year older than you!”

“See? Old enough to be your father!” Mingyu ridiculously declared. “And I cannot allow incest to ruin the good name of Gwangsan Kim.”

“Wonwoo-hyung and I aren’t even related! In fact, not a single person in our clan is related to anyone!”

“Well, related or not, you’re too young for him. End of discussion.”

The king leaned back into his seat, thoroughly pleased with how he won their little debate, and neither the prince nor his lover could say anything else to refute Mingyu’s words.

“ _Jeonghan-hyuuung!!!_ ” Chan cried out to his other father in the room, teary-eyed from all his frustration. He’d never been in an argument with Mingyu like this, and it was making him more emotional than he expected. Even though he was a vicious fighter in the battlefield, he still felt like such a small child when dealing with his parents.

“Alright, alright,” Jeonghan chuckled, haphazardly waving around his knife.

Unable to resist Chan’s adorably sad expression, the shrewd Alpha slithered up next to the king and began using his wits and magical parleying skills. “Mingyu, our son is old enough to make his own decisions. Be grateful that he and Wonwoo were respectful enough to ask for your blessing instead of eloping.”

Mingyu scowled at his longtime friend. “Don’t give them any ideas, hyung!”

“I’m just saying…they’re being considerate of your feelings, so you should be considerate of theirs too,” Jeonghan said with a grin. “I’ve seen the way those two look at each other, and they really are quite fond of one another…”

To help support the Alpha’s claim, Chan snaked his arms around Wonwoo’s waist and cozied up against his lover’s side.

“Wait…” Mingyu paused, gaze switching back and forth between his friend and the couple in front of him. Finally, his eyes landed on Jeonghan’s wicked expression, and the king became even more upset. “ _You knew about this?_ ”

“Of course I did! I know everything that goes on in this kingdom,” the shrewd Alpha unabashedly confessed, procuring another apple seemingly out of thin air.

“ _And yet you failed to inform me?_ ”

“Well, I assumed Minghao was going to spill Chan’s secret to you eventually. But I guess Seungkwan was right, Omegas don’t snitch on each other.”

“Minghao?!” Mingyu cried in disbelief. “You’re telling me Minghao knew about this too?!”

There was no way even his most-trusted Omega friend would hide such riveting information from him like this.

Jeonghan shrugged his shoulders while chewing on a few apple slices. “I’m pretty sure everyone knew except you honestly.”

“I can’t believe this! My entire clan has betrayed me!”

Was no one loyal to him anymore?

What happened to ’til the very end’?

“Oh, stop being so dramatic, Mingyu! You should be happy that your son is getting married!” Jeonghan screeched with exuberant cheer.

Of course, Yoon Jeonghan would be happy about this. All he ever wanted was chaos in the palace.

The king growled irritably at his Alpha friend. “I have not agreed to any unions!”

“Your Highness…” Wonwoo finally spoke up once more, voice loud and steady as he valiantly stepped forward. “I know I am not of royal blood, and I know I am not your best fighter. I’m not really the best at anything, and I’ve done many things that have inconvenienced you and your clan…but…but I _really, truly love Chan_. I want to marry him. I want to be with him no matter what it takes. When he becomes king, the only position I will request from him is to be part of his royal guard. I want to protect him for the rest of my life. I want to support his reign until our own child is ready to succeed him. So please, Your Highness… _Mingyu_ , please let me be his devoted Alpha for as long as I live.”

The king remained silent and completely focused on Wonwoo’s unwavering expression. He could see the Alpha’s sweat running down the sides of his face, but Wonwoo was still staring back at him with fierce determination in his eyes. He wasn’t avoiding Mingyu’s eyes, and he wasn’t turning away despite the terrorizing nature of Mingyu’s gaze.

Wonwoo wasn’t backing down.

He was no longer trapped under the influence of Hwang Minhyun. He no longer had the weight of guilt and shame on his shoulders.

He was not a meek son of Chrysanthemum State anymore.

This person in front of him was different.

Jeon Wonwoo was now fully a member of Gwangsan Kim.

Mingyu’s imposing, dark orbs softened, and he stated, “Fine. I will ponder upon the matter and let you know once I make a decision.”

It wasn’t a ‘yes’, but it was also definitely not a ‘no’, and that was enough of a victory for Chan and Wonwoo today.

The Alpha exhaled deeply in relief and smiled at his Omega, silently urging him to speak again.

With a soft grin, Chan nodded and turned to his father once more. 

“Appa…there’s one more thing I wish to tell you-” he started, only to be cut off by Jeonghan.

“You’re having a baby!!!” the shrewd Alpha delightfully screamed, his dastardly tone piercing through everyone’s eardrums.

“WHAT???” Mingyu roared, getting up from his seat as he prepared to rip Wonwoo’s head off.

The once ice cold room instantly became a melting pot of heat, and there were embers smoldering in their king’s orbs.

Chan stood in front of his lover, shielding him away protectively from his enraged father. “N-No!!! No! Not at all!!! W-Wonwoo and I- we’re- I…we just- No!!!! That’s not what I wanted to tell you!!!”

Jeonghan snickered as he watched the scene unfold from a safe distance. He hoped at least one of his and Jisoo’s children would follow in his diabolical footsteps someday.

This was the most fun he’d had in a while. Well, spending time with Jaemin and Jisoo was always fun, but he was much more calm, pleasant, and loving around them. He would never dare to act this despicably with them.

Every now and then, however, he had to air out his wicked side and wreak havoc on the palace grounds.So whenever he received a chance to mess with his clan members, Jeonghan took full advantage of it.

Besides, this was all harmless fun.

It wasn’t like Mingyu was actually going to kill Wonwoo.

“Then what is it???” the Alpha king bellowed, fire enveloping his entire body - very much _ready to kill_.

Whoops.

Even though Wonwoo had the Power of Earth within him, he was uneasy about summoning it against Chan’s father. He didn’t think he’d have to go into a full-on war with Mingyu, but if he really had to…then so be it.

His hands glowed with green, and Wonwoo braced himself to shift the earth before Mingyu could attack.

But Chan wasn’t going to allow the two Alphas to fight each other. He showed no form of timidity as he shouted back. “I’m ready to be king!”

Mingyu’s eyes widened.

His fire languidly sizzled away, and the throne room slowly returned to its frigid temperature.

Wonwoo’s fingers reabsorbed its green luminescence, and he looked to his lover in uncertainty.

For a moment, even Jeonghan had turned speechless from Chan’s words, but once he’d fully grasped the meaning behind them, his lips quirked up slightly.

He never truly realized how smart his son had become until today.

* * *

A month after Chan became the new ruler of Firestorm Fortress, he and Wonwoo held a joyous celebration for the entire kingdom in honor of their matrimony.

Five months later, their beautiful son - Hyunjin - was born.

As it turned out, Jeonghan’s little joke had actually been real.

Of course, Mingyu was incredibly angry about being left in the dark yet again, but the moment baby Hyunjin had been placed in his arms, all transgressions against him were immediately forgiven.

“I can’t believe Chan became a father before I did…” the Alpha king murmured to himself, peering down at the happily cooing newborn with both affection and disbelief.

He wondered how his and Soonyoung’s children would have looked like, and the thought quickly made his mood somber.

“I have to correct you on that,” Jisoo interrupted, smiling at his dear friend warmly, as he entered the room with his own sleeping child in his arms. Thankfully, Jinyoung wasn’t as fussy as Jaemin had been, and this gave the Second Prince more freedom to walk around the palace while his newborn slept soundly. “You adopted Chan, so technically, you already became a father a long time ago. Also, since Chan just had a son, you’re now officially a grandfather.”

“ _Hyung_ ,” Mingyu bemoaned. “I’m Hyunjin’s uncle! Not his grandfather! I’m too young to be a grandfather!”

Jisoo chuckled. “I know Mingyu. I’m just messing with you.”

“You’ve been hanging around Jeonghan-hyung for way too long. I can’t catch a break without either one of you teasing me every chance you get.”

“Old habits die hard, Mingyu.” The Second Prince ruffled the Alpha’s hair before peering down at Hyunjin. “I can’t believe we’re looking at the future of Gwangsan Kim. To think, in just a few decades…he’s going to be our new king.”

Mingyu nodded, allowing the baby to babble and drool all over his fingers. “He’s going to be just like Chan - strong, brave, driven… _born to be a leader_.”

Jisoo peered at his own son and grinned. “Hyunjin’s going to have so many playmates. I can’t wait to see the children of Gwangsan Kim all grown up. ”

Seungkwan and Hansol were also expecting a child in a couple more months, while Seungcheol and Jihoon had just conceived their third.

Junhui and Minghao, on the other hand, were still trying for their first. With the way the foreign couple were always having sex, it was a surprise that they did not have at least five children already. But there was no doubt that they’d have their own child soon.

Mingyu could only imagine all the anticipation his family members were feeling.

“You’ll get your chance too, Mingyu,” Jisoo remarked, gazing softly at his friend.

The Alpha reeled in his gloomy expression and quizzically looked up at the Second prince. “What do you mean, hyung?”

“You’ll have your own kids in the future too.”

Oh, if only that were true.

Mingyu smiled bitterly. “I doubt that, Jisoo-hyung…”

To have his own children…that would only be possible if he could forget about Kwon Soonyoung.

But that was a miracle not even the gods could bring forth…

* * *

Now that a number of years had passed since all their enemies had been vanquished, it was time for the members of Gwangsan Kim to set out on their own adventures.

Seungkwan and Hansol were the first to leave. Before they’d been captured, the couple had been on a journey to see the world. Now that they had their own son, Youngbok, the Alpha and Omega pair decided it was time for them to continue their peregrination. Just as Hansol had traveled with his parents as he grew up, he wished to do the same with Seungkwan and their child.

“Thank you for being so kind, M-Mingyu-hyung!” the sonorous Omega wept as he shared one last hug with their former king and savior. “T-Thank you for everything you’ve done for us! I…I promise w-we will not be gone forever! We will c-come back to continue s-s-serving Gwangsan Kim!”

“Seungkwan-ah, you and your family can travel as much as you wish to,” Mingyu insisted, embracing the crying Omega as tightly as he could. “Neither you nor Hansol were ever considered servants. You’re a part of this family. You are free to leave and enter Firestorm Fortress whenever you wish.”

As the couple bid farewell, Yongbok became as mess of tears and wails, refusing to be separated from Hyunjin. The new Crown Prince cried violently as well as his favorite playmate left, and though it broke Chan’s heart to see his son so miserable, he could not force Seungkwan and Hansol to either stay or leave Yongbok in Firestorm Fortress.

“Oh, Hyunjinnie, I’m sorry Yongbokkie had to leave, but I promise he’ll be back before you know it,” Chan spoke as he rocked his toddler back and forth. Hyunjin had cried and cried until he passed out, and neither Chan nor Wonwoo could find a way to calm him down before the exhaustion finally took over their child.

“In the mean time, he can play with Uncle Jeonghan.”

The Omega king turned to the Alpha with an annoyed frown. “Hyung, I know you mean well, but please stop kidnapping my baby.”

Jeonghan shrugged his shoulders. “I can’t help it. I want to steal everyone’s kids, but Hyunjin is the only one who doesn’t cry when I pick him up.”

Well, that was only partially true.

Hyunjin didn’t cry either when he was being cradled by Jihoon. There was something about the Omega doctor that made all the kids love him, but nobody could figure out why. Even Seungcheol was slightly jealous of how his and Jihoon’s kids were so attached to his Omega mate.

Soon after Seungkwan and Hansol left, Junhui and Minghao announced that they were heading back to the White Swan Empire to pay their respects to the late Emperor Yue. They also had to figure out who ended up succeeding Longfei, because no new sovereign had reached out to Gwangsan Kim after the Battle for the Aster Province. It would be beneficial for the White Swan Empire to become allies with Firestorm Fortress, especially since most of their army and resources had already been decimated thanks to Longfei’s atrocity.

“Junnie…this isn’t just some excuse to abandon us, is it?” Jihoon groaned, as his rowdy children clung to his legs.

“You have to promise us you’ll come back. No more dramatics this time,” Wonwoo added. They didn’t want another reenactment of Junhui’s near-dying experience.

“Of course I’ll come back,” Junhui cheerily stated, tugging both of his friends closer. “All our kids are going to grow up together, and they’re going to be just as close as we are. That’s a promise.”

Once Minghao and Mingyu had also said their goodbyes, the foreign couple made their way back to their former kingdom.

As they disappeared into the forests, Wonwoo and Jihoon noticed the overflowing of tears coming from Mingyu’s eyes.

“You don’t have to be sad, Mingyu. Minghao will only be gone for a couple of months,” Jihoon tried to soothe the Alpha.

“I’m not… _sad_ , hyung,” Mingyu muttered, as he wiped his tears away.

“Then…why are you crying, Mingyu?” Wonwoo asked, pained by the amount of despair he could see in their former king’s expression.

With his desolate smile, the Alpha answered, “ _I’m happy for them…I’m so happy that they’re together…even after everything that’s happened…they’re still together…they’re going to be together forever…_ ”

Those were the words that had left the menacing Alpha’s lips, but the real message in his words was apparent. Neither Wonwoo nor Jihoon were the best at reading Mingyu, but they’d both seen how the Alpha had longingly stared at Junhui and Minghao’s intertwined hands as they left.

Mingyu was happy for Junhui and Minghao - Wonwoo and Jihoon were certain of that.

But Mingyu so obviously wanted happiness for himself as well.

However, they knew it would be unlikely that the Alpha would ever find joy in the arms of another person.

Because no one would ever be able to replace the Omega king of Kim Mingyu’s heart…

* * *

“Appa…I’ve been king for a while now,” Chan reluctantly began to speak.

Mingyu was on cooking duty as usual, and he was in the process of making breakfast for all the children.

“And you’ve been doing a splendid job,” the Alpha commented, glancing up from the peaches he was mashing up in a porcelain bowl to smile at his son. “I’m really proud of you, Chan.”

“Thank you. Your approval means a lot to me,” the Omega responded gleefully, cheeks tinged with pink. However, his smile slowly tightened into a strained line. Sighing heavily, he continued speaking despite his incertitude. Chan had no idea how his father was going to react to what he was about to say, but he had to do this. “You mean a lot to me…This whole clan…this whole kingdom means so much to me…and…and because I care about this kingdom’s future…I’ve… I’ve decided to… _tomarryyouofftooneofourallies_.”

The Alpha’s movements stilled, and his heart started racing inside his chest. “Chan…what did you just say?”

Chan gulped down his creeping nervousness and continued, “Since you’re an eligible bachelor, I can’t let this opportunity go to waste. We need to fortify an alliance with another royal family, and you have to honor this betrothal for the sake of our kingdom.”

“But what about Firestorm Fortress?”

_What about everyone who needed him here?_

_What about Jisoo and Jeonghan?_

_What about Seungcheol and Jihoon?_

_What about Chan and Wonwoo?_

_What about the soldiers?_

_What about the hounds?_

_What about the common folk?_

They all needed him here to protect them, to care for them.

He could not be selfish.

He could not act as he did before and abandon them again.

The Omega king knew what his father was thinking. It wasn’t hard to guess, because Mingyu was always thinking about others. He could have been happy a long time ago, but he chose to take on sorrow instead so others would not have to endure it. “I will accept no excuses. As your…as your king…I…y-you…you have to do as I say.”

Mingyu lowered his head and held back his protests. He had to be obedient to his king after all. No, he had to trust his son. He had to _support_ Chan and his decisions.

So this was how it felt to be an Alpha forced to amalgamate and breed for the benefit of their nation.

“Which noble clan am I marrying into then, Your Highness?”

At last, the answer Chan had been both dreading and eagerly waiting to give.

After a brief moment of silence, the Omega king announced, “The Clan of Andong Kwon. From the Aster Province.”

Mingyu sharply lifted his head, eyes wide and welling with tears as he stared at his son in surprise.

“…Chan…” he breathed out, unable to say anything else.

Was he hearing things?

Was he dreaming?

There was no way…

There was no way this could be real…

“I reached out to their Omega king a few months ago, and he said if you would accept him-”

The Alpha swiftly grasped his adoptive child and pulled him against his chest.

There was no question to it. His answer was more than apparent from the start.

“I accept. Tell him I accept,” Mingyu said to Chan.

The Omega tearily smiled. “I think you should tell him that yourself, appa…You’ve already done so much to give everyone freedom. So now, let us free you too…”

_You deserve to go wherever you wish to…wherever your heart wants you to be…_

_You deserve to be with the person you love the most in this world…_

* * *

The top of this mountain had always been special to him. Here, his calico aster thrived and blossomed across the lands in staggering abundance. He’d watched as they grown in number as the years went by, and now, there were so many that no one would ever be able to count how many there were.

Sometimes, he felt like all he needed in the world were his beloved flowers. After all, they’d never judged him every time he cried. They'd never berated him for pouring out his ugly thoughts and feelings.

Instead, they’d brought him comfort every time he was with them. They gave him peace as he reminisced about a time that seemed like so long ago.

_“What if…you don’t go back to Firestorm Fortress?”_

_“Would you like to stay in the Aster Province with me…?”_

_“Yes…I want to stay with you, hyung…”_

Soonyoung had been so selfish back then. He had been such a pain. Such a hindrance.

But he had also been so in love.

He was still in love until now.

“Mingyu…” he whispered in yearning.

How could he ever forget a love like the Alpha King of Gwangsan Kim had shown him?

How could he forget all their precious memories together?

He would be the biggest fool in existence to let go of his feelings, because he was never going meet an Alpha like Kim Mingyu ever again.

He was never going to love anyone else so zealously in this lifetime.

There was only one Alpha for him, and he was going to love that Alpha until the day he died.

But no matter how much he wanted to be with Mingyu again, Soonyoung was never going to force him to come back. Above everything else…above his own desperate feelings, all he wanted was for his Alpha to be happy. Even if it wasn’t with him, he wanted Mingyu to experience only joy.

He could live with being forgotten as long as the person he loved was happy.

As the winds of Autumn blew, the Omega closed his eyes and felt the zephyrs graze his cheeks. He silently shared his wishes to the gods, hoping that even just one of them was listening.

There had to be at least _one_.

_Please._

_Please let Mingyu find happiness._

_Please give him all the happiness he deserves._

He opened his eyes once more, sighing as he was greeted by the beautiful sight of the blue horizon once more.

Then…

He heard the shuffling of the grass and felt someone's presence behind him.

“ _Soonyoung…_ ”

The Omega immediately recognized that wonderful voice, and the revelation shook him all the way down to his very core.

His hands fell loosely to his sides. His head was blank, and his heart felt like it had stopped beating altogether, but a familiar warmth had bloomed inside his body, growing and spreading until he was filled with relief, happiness, and tenderness.

As Soonyoung slowly turned around, his eyes took on a radiant gleam, and when he finally met the gaze of the beloved Alpha he could never forget…

…the Omega King of the Aster Province smiled.

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! This is officially the end of Bulgae and what a journey this has been. Wow! 2020 is almost over, and I really wanted to post this before the new year began. I didn't get to write as much as I wanted to this year, but I hope I can this coming 2021. Thank you again to everyone who supported and read and commented in this story from start to finish. Thank you so much for all the love you've given this fic. I appreciate you all so much, and I hope I can continue to bring some sort of joy in your lives with my other fics. 
> 
> As one final gift for you guys, here's some fun facts for this fic:  
> 1.) Soonyoung and Mingyu end up having 3 kids - Seungyoun, Woojin (AB6IX), and Ryujin.   
> 2.) Junhui and Minghao have 4 - Renjun, Yibo, Yiren, and Yizhuo.   
> 3.) Wonwoo and Chan have 2 - Hyunjin (Stray Kids) and Sunoo (ENHYPHEN).   
> 4.)Seungcheol and Jihoon have 5 GIANT KIDS - Jangjun, Wooseok, Yorim (Aisha from Everglow), Younghoon, and Jiwoong.  
> 5.) Hansol and Seungkwan have 3 - Yongbok (Felix from Stray Kids), Sejun, and Subin.  
> 6.) Jeonghan and Jisoo have 4 - Jaemin, Jinyoung (B1A4), Seokwoo, and Yuna (ITZY).  
> 7.) Seokmin ends up meeting another deity named Dongmin, who has a resemblance to a certain someone ;) and they become one of the characters driving the plot for the next installment of Bulgae.  
> 8.) Seungyoun and Yibo become best friends, and they go off on their own adventures in the future.  
> 9.) Hyunjin becomes an Alpha who falls in love someone, and his relationship with his father, Wonwoo, is strained because of it.  
> 10.) Jeonghan's favorite nephew is Hyunjin.   
> 11.) Jaemin becomes a disciple under Jihoon.   
> 12.) Sunoo learns how to fight from Minghao, and his and Hyunjin's relationship also becomes strained.   
> 13.) I might just go ahead and make a separate new entry for Bulgae's short stories.  
> 14.) The next installment of Bulgae will still be Soongyu, but the beginning will focus on Hyunjin and Yongbok plus Woojin and his relationship with his family. 
> 
> Once again, HAPPY HOLIDAYS, EVERYONE!!!!! Talk to you all again soon! Leave comments and love if you can!!!!!


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